The Darkness in The City of the Dead
by TravyMcNavy184
Summary: Jackie Estacado has killed Paulie Franchetti and avenged his beloved Jenny. Now he finds himself on the other side of the world to figure things out on where to go from there. Now he becomes a guest of the Lagoon Company of Roanapur. How will the City of the Dead and it's denizens feel having a former mob hitman with power of the unholiest variety living in their midst?
1. Prologue

**Hey everyone, TravyMcNavy184 here. Yes I am still alive, work has just been a pain lately, but I am still active and writing stories. This one will be another crossover, don't know what it is with me and crossovers but here it is. Anyway it will be a crossover of Black Lagoon and The Darkness. I got the idea when I read Roanapur's Demon by Wraith002 and I wondered 'If the lagoon company had someone like Venom on their side, imagine when a former hitman for the mafia with the power over the dark and shadows comes into the mix.' Wraith002 is a hell of a writer, he/she has a lot of good stories so please check them out. I can only hope to reach the level he/she is at right now. So here is my next story, don't worry I won't abandon my other stories. So here is my next story, as always I own nothing but ocs. Read and Review, just nothing too mean but If I can do something better do let me know in the comments. So read and enjoy.**

The Darkness in the City of the Dead

Prologue

It was a hot day on a small cruise liner that cut through the South China Sea. At the stern of the ship, leaning on the railing was a tall, lean American man with black hair that reached his shoulders. He was wearing a black three piece suit with a black tie complete with a black belt and shoes. He also wore a black trench coat, which he held in his arms due to the heat. This man is Jackie Estacado, a former hitman for the Franchetti Crime Family in New York. Now you are probably wondering why is a hitman for the mob doing on a ship on the other side of the globe? Well lets go back a few weeks to understand.

 _Three Weeks Earlier, New York_

Jackie was inside his Aunt Sarah's house in Little Italy resting on one of the couches with two pistols resting in the grips of his hands. He was panting, trying to catch his breath. The reason is because he along with his friends Butcher Joyce and Jimmy the Grape and his Aunt Sarah, just fended off a hit from Jackie's 'Uncle' Paulie Franchetti in retaliation for Jackie destroying a Freight Ship filled with a drug shipment he was holding for the Chicago Mob. When Jackie killed the captain of the ship and destroyed the ship, Paulie was furious so he sent a hit squad to kill Jackie. Which given the number of dead bodies in and outside of the house, it wasn't very successful.

While Jackie was sitting on the couch, a larger man with a shaved head and beard walked into the room, this was Butcher Joyce, a friend of Jackies and a 'cleaner' for the Frachetti's. What that means is if there is a dead body, they call him to get rid of it and leave no trace behind and this guy was the best in the business.

"I don't think too much of the redecorating job Jackie." He said sarcastically. "It's the work of Paulie's rat bastard, backstabbing motherfuckers. I am glad to see you're all in one piece. And the Chicago people...they're gonna be grateful that you protected your Aunt Sarah. They'll owe you a great debt. Paulie on the other hand...Okay, I got a lead for you. I think I know where he's been keeping himself. Paulie paid for an old lighthouse to be renovated last year. He's out there, hoping to Hell you don't find him. You can only get there by boat."

Jackie nodded his head in gratitude. "Thanks Butch, that helps a lot."

At this point another man came into the room. This man was an older man wearing a dark purple suit. This man was known as Jimmy the Grape, another friend of Jackie and an old school associate of the Franchetti's.

"You got balls kid. You really got balls. And you got brains. Listen...me and some of the old huys, we've been talking the other day." The old man began. "And we were saying that someone like you with brains, balls, and respect. And someone who honors the old ways. You know what the old ways mean, don't ya? Cause there ain't nothin' but the old ways. So what we want-we want you to come in and take over the family. Just for a little while. Huh, you like that? C'mon, this way you be the guy. You be-the Don."

Jackie was speechless. One of his oldest friends was not only basically giving him a blessing to kill Paulie, but also offering him an opportunity to become Don of the Franchetti Crime Family. It was opportunity that never came around to someone like him. It was definitely a once in a lifetime chance that any man would be a fool to pass up. But...

Jackie shook his head. "It's a tempting offer Jimmy, but I'm gonna have to say no to this one." He said. Butcher Joyce and Jimmy the Grape were speechless at his rejection.

"No?! Jackie, do you realize what you're saying here?"

"Yeah I do Jimmy, but I'm just not ready to take over. When this is over, I'm gonna take some time off to...figure things out. You know?" Jackie replied to the mob associate. "Besides, I think if anyone should be the boss, it's you."

"B-b-but Jackie-" Jimmy the Grape tried to say his piece when a new voice made itself known. "That's enough Jimmy." The voice belonged to an elderly woman wearing a white blouse and a purple jacket. This woman was Jackie's Aunt Sarah, somewhat of a mother figure to Jackie. "The boy has made his decision." She said with authority in her voice. She then looked towards Jackie. "Jackie, are you sure this is what you want to do honey?"

"It is Aunt Sarah. With everything that's happened and what will happen, I just...I just need to get away. At least for a little while anyway. I know it sounds like I'm running away, but this is something I feel I need to do." Jackie responded with a determined tone. Aunt Sarah looked at her 'nephew' for a moment before wrapping him in a tight hug, which he happily returned. "Alright, if you feel like this is the right thing to do, then do it. 'I always say follow your heart and it will never lead you wrong.'" She said with a warm smile.

Jackie returned the smile. "Thanks Aunt Sarah. You were always the wise one."

"You bet your ass I am." She said with a chuckle.

Jimmy sighed in defeat but accepted Jackie's answer. "Well it pains me that you're not taking the position kid, but your Aunt Sarah is right. If you feel like you need to do this, then I won't stop you." He said with a smile. Jackie smiled in return and took his hand out to shake Jimmy's. Jimmy took his hand, at which point Jackie tugged him into a hug. Jimmy was surprised at first, but then hugged Jackie back. "Good luck out there Jackie. Just remember if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask, alright?"

"I won't, and thanks Jimmy." Finishing the hug, Butcher Joyce walked up and put his hand on Jackie's shoulder. He too looked at Jackie with a smile. "That takes real guts what you're doing Jackie. All I can do is wish you luck and hope you find what you are looking for." Jackie smiled to the cleaner and wrapped him in a hug, which Butch returned gladly. "Well, if you're ready Jackie, Mario is waiting down at pier 19 to take you to the light house. Go give that cocksucker Paulie some hell, huh?!" Jackie smirked at the comment and nodded his head in determination. "You got it Butch, sorry if I'm gonna be making you work some overtime."

"Ah don't even worry about it Jackie, I'm actually looking forward to this one."

"Alright kid." Jimmy the Grape announced. "This is it, go give Paulie hell."

"And when you leave Jackie, wherever you end up, don't be a stranger. Give us a call or drop a letter every now and then to let us know you're okay." Aunt Sarah added.

"I will guys. And thank you all...for everything. And don't worry, I'll drop a notice of where I end up." Everyone gave one last smile to Jackie, to which he returned. He then looked at his pistols for a moment before holstering them behind his back. He then walked toward the front door, a new fire burning within him as he focused on the task at hand. Tonight, the backstabbing bastard who killed the love of his life and tried to kill him multiple times was finally going to die and with this new power at his disposal, he was ready to turn Paulie's last known safe haven into a blood bath. He exited the house and closed his eyes and thought of Jenny, all the times they spent together since meeting at the orphanage playing out in his mind. 'Jenny, this if for you baby.' He thought. He then took off into a sprint and charged into the night, ready to kill some bastards and raise some hell while he was at it.

 _Present Day_

It had been almost a month since Jackie killed Paulie and the remainder of his men at the lighthouse back in New York. After the massacre, he returned to his apartment and packed his clothes, guns, ammo, and some hidden money from all the contract hits he accomplished wince working for the Franchetti Family. He was still leaning on the railing at the stern of the ship just staring out into the vast ocean. He then took out a picture from his suit jacket. The picture was of him and Jenny when they went to an amusement park on Coney Island a few months before her death. He looked at the picture and his eyes began o tear up. He ran his finger across Jenny's face. "Oh Jenny, I wish you were here with me." He said to himself.

" **HA HA HA HA HA! YOU CAN'T CHANGE WHAT HAPPENED JACKIE."** A sinister voice echoed in his head. Jackie knew this voice all too well. The voice belonged to the Darkness, the power that resided inside Jackie all his life and awakened on the night of his 21st birthday. This very same power, while powerful, has a mind of it's own. It made Jackie watch Jenny be killed by Paulie and Captain Edward Shrote, a corrupt NYPD captain who was on Paulie's payroll. Jackie hated this power he was cursed with and tried his best to try and suppress it but with no luck.

"Dammit, you're the last thing I want to hear right now. Just leave me alone."

" **WE WILL NEVER GO AWAY JACKIE. AFRAID YOU ARE STUCK WITH US."** The voice responded with a sinister chuckle.

Jackie just ignored the Darkness and went back to the picture. He looked at it for a few more moments before...

BANG BANG

Jackie heard a sound he was all too familiar with; the sound of gunshots. He put the picture away and went towards the noise. At this point, a Japanese man in a business suit came running towards him. The man was so frightened he didn't see where he was going and bumped into Jackie, causing both of them to fall to the ground. Jackie looked at the man and could tell he was scared halfway out of his mind. "Hey, hey what's going on?" Jackie inquired.

"P-p-p-pirates! They're taking over the ship, we gotta hide!" He shouted to the former hitman. He then got back up and ran down below deck to hide from the invaders. Jackie steadied himself to get back on his feet when he felt his hand touch something. He looked down and noticed a computer disk. He picked it up and inspected it. 'That guy from earlier must have dropped it when he ran into me. I should return this once I deal with these 'pirates.' Jackie thought as he pocketed the disc. He reached behind his back and grabbed his twin semi automatic 9mm pistols. He readied his weapons and turned the safeties off. He then walked towards the bow of the ship.

He hid close to the wall and peeked out towards the bow and spotted a lone gunman watching over a group of passengers who were lying on the ground with their hands covering their heads. The hostage taker was a tall black man roughly a few inches taller than Jackie wearing a green tactical vest and camo pants along with combat boots. He was pointing a .357 Magnum at the passengers.

"Alright folks, can I have your undivided attention." He announced, causing the passengers to slowly look up to him. "Me and my crew are looking for something and as soon as we get it, we'll be on our way. Anybody who moves or does anything stupid like trying to play here..."He said before cocking the hammer of his massive gun back for emphasis. "Well, I don't think I need to tell you what will happen."

"Only one huh? His boat is somewhere nearby, so if I can take him out quick, the rest of the crew should be easy pickin'. He readied his weapons until he heard a clicking noise behind him. "Going somewhere, dipshit?" A new voice asked him. He turned around slowly to avoid getting shot in case his captor had an itchy trigger finger. When he looked at his captor and was stunned at her appearance. It was a woman of Chinese-American descent. She had shoulder length plum colored hair that was tied in a ponytail, which Jackie thought was an odd hair color. Her skin was tanned and very fit in terms of appearance. She wore a black tanktop with daisy duck shorts held tightly by a black belt. A dual shoulder holster slung beneath her rather large breasts.

Her face was adorned with amber-brown eyes and a wicked sneer was plastered on her face. Jackie was enamored with how this woman looked. 'God damn, this has to be the hottest woman I've seen this whole trip. But her eyes...' Jackie looked into the woman's eyes and could tell there was no sign of love or mercy in them. To him they felt cold, dark, and empty, the same way his eyes felt to the people he killed.

" **SHE REEKS OF DESPAIR!"** The malevolent voice in Jackie's head said in ecstasy. The aura the female gunslinger was giving off was enticing to the Darkness.

The woman had one of her pistols to Jackie's face. "Drop 'em now." Jackie slowly lowered to the ground and placed his pistols on it before straightening up, his hands still in the air. "Good boy, now get moving." The woman ordered, which Jackie followed. "Hey Dutch, got another one here."

The man, now identified as Dutch, turned to the two while pointing his weapon at their new hostage. "Nice catch Revy." He then walked towards Jackie with his weapon now pointed at the former hitman's head. "Listen up friend, we're looking for a package from Asahi Industries. Someone on this ship's got it." Dutch said.

"Asahi Industries, never heard of it 'friend'." Jackie responded. "And I would really appreciate it of you got that gun out of my face before you two get hurt."

The woman, now known as Revy, just snickered at Jackie's words, not even taking him seriously. In fact, she never lost her smile. "Yeah right, what are you gonna do shit for brains?" She asked rhetorically. Dutch and Revy continued to point their weapons at Jackie who at this point was getting annoyed at not being taken seriously.

"Alright, final warning, get your weapons out of my face or else."

"Hey Dutch, I say we blow this fucker's brains out." Suggested Revy.

Having enough, Jackie looked beneath Dutch's feet and noticed he was in the shadows. "Oh fuck this." He concentrated and a tentacle made of darkness emerged from the shadow and wrapped around Dutch's neck. "What the?!" He exclaimed before the tentacle lifted the large man into the air and slammed him on the deck, dropping his weapon out of his hand. "WHAT THE FU-" Revy tried to yell until she felt a pain in her stomach. She looked and saw that Jackie punched her in the stomach, causing her to drop her guns. Jackie then performed a low sweep and knocked Revy off her feet. Jackie then noticed that Revy's head was in the shadow and created another tentacle from the shadow and wrapped it around her neck, immobilizing her.

With the pirates incapacitated, Jackie went to where he laid his guns down and picked them back up. He went towards the pirates and aimed his pistols at their heads. "Well, now that everyone is cool, how about we have ourselves a chat?"

The two tried to free themselves from the tentacle's grip, but to no avail. Revy was trying just as hard, refusing to let something hold her down and itching to fill the former hitman full of holes for getting the drop on her. To say she was pissed would be an understatement. "Fuck you dipshit!" She cursed out loud. "Just wait til I get back up. When I get done with you, you're gonna be shittin out through a hole in your head!"

"How the hell are you doing this anyway?! You some kind of sorcerer or something?" Dutch asked.

"Let's just say you have your tricks, I have mine." Jackie replied. "Now, down to business. What exactly is you two are after?"

"We were hired to retrieve a disc. The one who hired us said it would be on this ship, in the hands of someone who works for the company." Dutch answered, causing Jackie to realize something. He put one of his guns away, reached into his pocket, and showed him the disc he picked up earlier. "Is this the disc by chance?" Dutch saw the disc and nodded.

"Yeah it is. You the one who works for Asahi Industries?"

"Do I look like some pencil pusher who works for some fortune 500 company?" Jackie asked rhetorically. "I found this thing during the shit storm you two caused. Personally, I don't give two shits one way or the other what happens to it. Honestly, I have half a mind to throw this overboard." Hearing that pissed off Revy further as she tried to get free from the tentacle holding her down. If there was one thing she hated most, it's when the job she takes is threatened with failure and losing her a payday. "Unless...you're willing to make a deal." Jackie offered the pirates.

Revy was just about to tell Jackie to fuck off, when Dutch put his hand in front of her to stop her. "What kind of deal?" Inquired Dutch.

"I assume you guys have a place where you operate, right?" Jackie asked getting a nod from Dutch.

"Yeah, an old Thai port town called Roanapur."

"Any chance this a place where people go to disappear or get away from the shit in their lives?"

"Well, it's not exactly a vacation spot, but yeah. It's a place far off the beatin path, if you want to get lost, no place better to do it than there."

Jackie though about this for a few moments and came to a decision. "Alright, I'll tell you what; how much are you getting paid for this job?"

Dutch and Revy looked at each other before looking back to Jackie. "Our client promised us $20,000 for the job." Dutch answered.

"Alright, here's the deal. If you can take to this 'Roanapur', I'll give you guys an extra $30,000. No gets hurt, no one gets killed, and you guys get an easy payday. So what do you say?"

Revy and Dutch were shocked. They were getting paid an extra thirty grand on top of their original twenty grand payday. They knew this was opportunity to good to pass up, but Revy was still a bit skeptical at the offer. She thought that if their captor gets the first chance, he would put a bullet in the back of their heads.

"And you got thirty grand on you? Yeah right, let me see the color of that money." Jackie put the disc back into his coat and reached further into the jacket, pulling out 300 one hundred dollar bills held together with rubber bands. Seeing that, Revy was practically drooling at the sight of the money. Dutch just smiled at the offer and nodded his head. "Alright, you got a deal. We'll take you to Roanapur. For thirty extra grand, no way we can pass that up." Jackie smiled and released his captors. Dutch and Revy got back up and collected their weapons. Jackie then handed Dutch the disc and gestured him to lead the way to their ship. Not taking chances, Revy pointed one of her pistols at Jackie's head. "Try anything funny, and I'll waste you where you stand. Got that dipshit?!" She threatened.

Jackie was getting a little tired of being called anything other than his name. "Okay first off, sweetheart, quit calling me dipshit or anything else like that. I have a proper name, it's Jackie Estacado. Second, I'm giving you guys thirty grand to take me to this place, why would I screw you out of that?"

"Just don't try anything funny." She reiterated as the three made it to the PT boat that was docked beside the ship.

A while later, Dutch and Revy found themselves in a small room filled with computers. Behind pne of them sat a young man with blonde hair, wearing glasses and a Hawaiian shirt. After Dutch and Revy stored Jackie in one of the makeshift 'brigs', they asked their computer expert to find information on their new guest. "So, you got anything on him Benny-boy?"

The man, now known as Benny, was punching some keys until he found what he was looking for; Jackie's mugshot and police file. "Uhhhh...yep, here we are. Jackie Estacado, born in New York, mom died in childbirth, raised by his father Carlo until he died when he was 7. After that he went to live at St. Mary's Orphanage." He said giving the captain some basic information.

"Let's see, oh this is interesting. It says here he is a suspected hitman for the Franchetti crime family."

"A mob hitman, that would probably explain how he took down Revy so quickly." Dutch said causing Revy to gain a tick mark for having to be reminded of that moment. "What else you got on him?"

"Let's see, he was adopted by the head of the Franchetti crime family, Paulie, at the age of 12. Before that, he didn't exactly have a stellar childhood at that orphange, one report says he nailed a frog to the front door of the orphanage."

"Well if that doesn't spell out 'serial killer' I don't know what does." Revy said.

"Ooooh it's get's even better, according to this, at the age of 14, he was suspected in a crime and while being interrogated by a female detective, one thing apparently led to another and it ended up with the two of them 'going at it' in the interrogation room." Benny finished, a shocked expression adorned on his face. Dutch and Revy appeared to have had the same reaction. "Damn, he got laid at 14?! I should be asking this kid for tips." Dutch said jokingly.

"Okay so according to his sheet, at 16 he was a person of interest in the murder of a bookie who worked for Paulie. After that, he was suspected of other murders in connection to Paulie Franchetti from the time he was 16 to the present. Almost, wow almost 150 murders." Finished Benny.

Dutch and Revy were trying to digest this information. To think that their guest was a mob hitman was one thing, but to think he had killed nearly killed 150 people was something they had not expected. "So what happened to make him leave?" Revy inquired.

Benny punched a few more keys and found his answer. "Well, because his employer is dead, along with a good portion of his goons." He turned his computer screen to show the two, whose eyes were glued to the screen. "Apparently Paulie went into hiding at his lighthouse hideout and somehow he and his army of enforcers were all brutally slaughtered, with Jackie being the top suspect." On the screen were images of Paulie's goons not only suffering from gunshot wounds, but also a great deal of them were dismembered. Many missing their arms, legs, some were beheaded or bisected. The one thing they had in common was that their hearts looked like they had been ripped out of their chests.

"Damn, could he really have done all of this and come out alive? This guy must be come kind of one man army." Dutch said.

Revy was in awe at what she was seeing, dozens of dead men and the sheer brutality they had died from had completely changed her opinion of the former hitman. "Whoa...I think I'm in love right now." she said, causing Dutch and Benny to look at her as if she had literally lost her mind. Seeing this, she turned the monitor away and immediately went back to her old self. "Pfft...Whatever, I've seen better rampages than that." She said trying to hide the blush on her face. While all this was going on, the three didn't notice a pair of glowing yellow eyes in the vent above them. The eyes belonged to a snake like creature whose body extended to the place where Jackie was confined. Through the serpent, Jackie could see and hear everything the crew of the boat were saying about him, one of the perks of his darkness powers. Calling the serpent back, he lied down on the cot in the room.

" **WE CAN SMELL DEATH AND DESPAIR. SOON, WE SHALL RELISH IN IT."** The voice said in Jackie's head, which he ignored. Right now, Jackie just wanted to get some rest, he had no idea what would be in store for him when he got to Roanapur, but he was going to need every bit of rest he could get to be ready for whatever the place could throw at him. With that, he shut his eyes and went to sleep.

 **And with that, the first chapter of my newest fanfiction is done. So the Lagoon company has become acquainted with the host of the Darkness and now are on their way to Roanapur. I can only imagine what will be in store for them when they see what Jackie is fully capable of. The first chapter may seem a little short but it was the best I could come up with for now and trying to tie everything together, just hope it is good and not confusing. The Darkness and all it's unholy glory will make it's full appearance in the next chapter. The City of the Dead will be in for a surprise when an unholy presence that predates time itself makes itself known to it's inhabitants and the Darkness itself will be like a kid in a candy store being around every form of criminal and scum that call Roanapur their home. Anyway here is a new story, I will publish the next chapter of The Son of Satan in Yokai Academy sometime this week. I know many of you who are following me have been waiting for the next chapter, but I assure you your patience will be well rewarded. So read this story, let me know if there is anything I can fix, nothing too mean, but above all enjoy it. Until then, see you next time.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone, TravyMcNavy184 here with another chapter of The Darkness in the City of the Dead. I promised you the Darkness will make itself known in this chapter and I will make sure it's official appearance delivers. I'm glad to know that there are people who are following this story and hope that more will lead and follow this story. To answer the comment from MEleeSmasher, Balalaika won't officially know about the Darkness. I plan to make it so that when she does learn about it, with all the resources at her disposal, she could dig up information about it from religious organizations and the occult. Hopefully that will answer your question. So without further ado, here is the next chapter.**

Chapter 1

The City of the Dead

Jackie continued to lie on his cot and rest his eyes. He didn't know how much longer it was to Roanapur, but he still needed rest to deal with what the place had to offer. While he slept, he dreamed of Jenny. He dreamed of all the good times he had spent with her when they first met at the orphanage. One of his favorite moments he spent with her was when they were kids for Jackie's birthday, there was a party going on in a roller rink for another kid they didn't know. Jenny and Jackie were broke, so Jenny snuck into the party. With the party in full swing, nobody noticed a girl helping herself to some cake and some presents, all for Jackie. It was one of the best birthdays Jackie ever had. Jackie and Jenny were broke, but she always managed find a way to have a good time. She could sneak and con their way into bars, clubs, movie theaters, you name it. And whenever they got caught, Jenny was just as good at getting them out of trouble as she was getting them in it. The dream turned sour when Jackie remembered the night Jenny was killed. The moment Jenny told him that it wasn't his fault and Paulie pulled the trigger, he woke up.

"JENNY!" He shouted waking from his slumber, sweat pouring off his forehead. He wiped off the sweat and pinched the bridge of his nose. He then sat up on the bed and continued sitting on the bed until he heard the door open. He looked up to see a very familiar female gunslinger. "Up and at em dipshit. We're here." She told the host. With that, he stood up, grabbed his bag and followed the woman to deck of the ship. "Hey, who's Jenny anyway?" Revy asked. Jackie just looked at Revy. "Frankly that's none of your business. And what did I say about calling me dipshit?"

Revy just glared at him as they continued to the deck of the ship. Once on the deck, Jackie was greeted by the sight of Dutch and Benny, whose name he learned from the serpent he sent out earlier. It was currently night out and Jackie got a first glimpse of Roanapur. The place looked almost like the favelas in Brazil and some of the people Jackie saw looked like scum of the worst kind. The Darkness within Jackie saw it's new surroundings and was relishing in it.

" **YEEEEEEESSS...THIS PLACE IS FILLED WITH DESPAIR, HATRED, LUST."** The malevolent voice in his head. Jackie just ignored it.

"Alright dipshit, we got you here, now how about you uphold your end of the deal." Revy said bringing Jackie back to reality. He looked at the crew and reached into his coat. He pulled out the stack of hundreds he showed them back on the ship, Revy already starting to drool. Jackie threw the stack to Dutch, who managed to catch it. "Alright, a deal's a deal. And with that gentlemen...and lady if you want to call yourself that..." Jackie said looking at Revy, who gained a tic mark. "I guess this is where we part ways. So enjoy the cash and hopefully I never see you again." He finished as he was about to get off the boat.

"Hold up Estacado." Dutch called out to the hitman, who looked back to the captain. "We were about to get a drink to celebrate the success, why don't you join us?" He offered. Jackie thought about it for a moment before answering. "Alright, I could go for a beer or two." With that the crew and Jackie found themselves next to a red 1969 Plymouth Roadrunner which Jackie was just loving the sight of. He was always a fan of muscle cars, especially anything from 1969. "God damn! Is this your ride Dutch?" Jackie asked, but Dutch shook his head.

"Actually it's mine." Benny announced.

"Well you my friend got good taste." Jackie replied.

"Thanks, nice to know someone else shares a love for cars like these." With that, everyone got into the Roadrunner and drove off into the city. After a bit of driving, they found themselves in front of a bar called The Yellow Flag. Jackie took one look at it and could immediately tell the bar was a total shit hole. After parking the car, the four headed inside. They walked to the bar and were greeted by a Vietnamese bartender who shot them dirty looks.

"Oh great, it's you guys again." He said with disdain in his voice as they took their seats.

"Shut the fuck up Bao and set us up." Revy responded to the bartender.

The bartender, now known as Bao, took out a few glasses and filled them with rum. He took a look at Jackie and could tell he looked like he didn't belong there. "Haven't seen you here before American." Bao said to Jackie.

"Just came in today. Guessing you don't get a lot of people like me in your establishment?" Jackie asked.

"Not many Americans, no. What're you having?"

"I'll just have a beer for now." Jackie replied. Bao took out a bottle, opened it and slid it to the former hitman. Jackie took a look around the bar and was surprised his intuition about was right about it being a shithole. Prostitutes around the place trying to get men to spend the night with them, some tables had men playing cards and they had guns on them. Some of the patrons were even brawling amongst themselves. "Damn! Am I crazy or does this place kinda give off that 'bar at the end of the world' kind of vibe?" Jackie asked, earning a chuckle from Dutch.

"You wouldn't be far off Jackie. This place was founded by the Southern Vietnamese soldiers who survived the war. They started taking in fugitive soldiers too and before we knew it, this place went straight to hell. Hookers, junkies, mercenaries, hitmen, irredeemable crooks one and all." Dutch finished taking a swig of his rum. With that, he excused himself to make a phone call.

"Sorry about that. Dutch can a bit unusual, but after being around him for two years I can tell you he's tough, intelligent and eccentric. You can give up on trying to figure him out." Benny said to Jackie.

"Ah don't even worry about it man, I've seen weirder things back in New York." Jackie replied before raising his glass to Benny to make a toast, which he accepted. "You know you don't seem you belong here, so what's your story if I may ask."

Benny just chuckled and answered. "Came from a college in Florida where I studied computer engineering, but I dropped out."

"Dropped out, why? Couldn't pay for tuition or couldn't take the pressure?"

"Neither. I was...fooling around and managed to piss off both the FBI and the Mafia at the same time and then-"

"Yours truly stepped in and saved his ass before he was stuffed in a bag and thrown overboard." Revy interrupted. "BAH stop the worthless storytelling. You're too young to be reminiscing, now it's time for all of us to go shot for shot." She finished as she poured some Bacardi from the bottle into an empty glass before slamming the bottle on the bar. "We came all the way here for a drink so how about something a little more interesting Mr. Hitman?" She said as she slid the class filled with rum towards Jackie, which hit his bottle out of the way. He looked at the glass and realized what was in it.

"Uhhhh, I'm good. I really don't do the hard stuff." He said, causing Revy to chuckle and she slammed her entire glass of rum, greatly surprising Jackie. He knew a guy in Franchetti's crew who had a reputation for being a champion drinker. Seeing this woman down rum like it were nothing made him think how she could put the guy to shame.

"Don't like the hard stuff huh? If you ask me beer is no different from piss. That crap will never get drunk. A real man drinks rum. But, if you don't even have the balls to keep up with a woman, then I won't try and force you." Hearing her say that touched a nerve for Jackie. Normally he wouldn't care what anyone thought about him, but something about this woman just lit a fire in him. "Although I would like to put a little dress with some frills and pretty ribbons on you and take you out for a night of dancing."

That was the last straw for Jackie. "You know I usually don't give a crap what anyone thinks about me. But something about you just..." He didn't finish as he too the glass in front of him and slammed down it's contents before he slammed the glass on the bar, shocking both Revy and Benny. "DON'T. EVER. COUNT ME OUT. YOU GOT THAT?!" Jackie shouted angrily at Revy. Revy just glared at Jackie until...

"HEY, BARKEEP-"

""BRING US ALL THE BACARDI YOU GOT!" Revy and Jackie shouted.

While all this was going on, Dutch was in another corner of the bar talking on the payphone. "No shit, that is definitely no good news. Go on." He said to who was on the other line.

On the other end of the line, a woman was talking to the pirate captain. "I didn't trust Asahi Industries' response. So I left some bait and a Chinese Rat jumped right at it, As a matter of fact, I'm talking to him right now."

"Who's on the move?"

"One moment." The woman turned the phone to a bleeding Chinese man on the floor writhing in agony. After a couple of seconds, there was a response. "Sh-Shingian! Shingian Wan Taikei. He sent his troops to assassinate them. He sent mercenaries to Roanapur." The woman brought the phone back to her ear. "Hear that?"

"Yeah, not good."

The woman turned the phone back to the man "Tell them the number and affiliation of those soldiers. Speak up and make it fast." The woman demanded. "The Extra Order. A mercenary contracting agency. I don't know how many there are. I swear!"

The woman put the phone back to her ear. "The EO Company scouts experienced war junkies."

"Just our luck."

"Try not to die Dutch." The woman finished the conversation as her men pulled out their guns and fired at the man.

Back in the bar, there was a gathering of patrons watching Revy and Jackie having a drinking contest. They were just finishing their second bottle and about to start on the third. With the bottle empty, Revy began to unscrew the cap on the third bottle until Jackie felt an uneasy feeling coming from outside. He looked to towards the entrance and closed his eyes. Once he opened them, they were glowing yellow and he began to see outlines of people outside the bar, all armed with weapons.

" **OOOOOOOOOH, TONIGHT IS ABOUT TO GET INTERESTING."** Said the Darkness.

Right on cue, a few of the outlines threw grenades into the bar. "MOVE." Jackie shouted.

Jackie, Benny and Revy leaped forward and got behind the bar. After a couple more seconds, the grenades detonated, destroying the lights in the bar and killing some of the patrons. After the explosions, A hail of full-auto ripped through the bar, killing the patrons who survived the explosions.

"Revy, if these are your friends then you better deal with them." Bao the bartender said angrily to the female gunslinger, who just shrugged at the comment.

"Don't know them." She responded as she finished the rest of her rum. Bullets began to bombard the bar counter, which amazingly took no damage. "Wow, you even bulletproofed the bar huh?"

"Yep, it can handle up to .50 caliber."

Dutch was laying down suppressing at the attackers. "REVY?!" He called out.

"I'm okay." She responded.

"BENNY?!"

"Miraculously still alive." The blonde called out as he ran towards Dutch.

"JACKIE?!"

"Still alive, just a little pissed." The former hitman called out.

The gunfire finally stopped and a group of men in military fatigues walked into the bar. The leader of the group just snickered and marveled at the carnage he and his men had caused. "Alright, sweep the place boys. No survivors." He said without a hint of remorse in his voice. Revy readied her guns to take them out until a hand appeared in front of her. She looked and saw that Jackie was stopping her. He then got up and went towards the mercenaries, confusing Revy and Dutch. "Hey what the shit are you doing?!" She asked.

"Jackie are you crazy?!"

Jackie then stepped right in front of the mercenaries of the Extra Order. The soldiers of fortune looked at him as if he was crazy. The leader just chuckled at Jackie, wondering what the hell was wrong with him. "Well, you are either really brave or just plain stupid as shit." He said

Jackie just gave them all a death glare. "Neither asshole. Now, this is your only chance. Leave now and you all live to see tomorrow, otherwise I can't guarantee you're all going to die painlessly." Jackie said, causing the leader and his boy to laugh at him. "Who the hell do you think you are dipshit?"

" **YEEEEES! TEAR AND MUTILATE!"**

"...Alright, I tried to give you guys a way out of this. But now, you're about to remember why you once feared the dark." Jackie closed his eyes and opened them again and they began to glow white. After that, a shroud of darkness began to form behind and around Jackie. With that, a pair of similar looking serpents emerged from the darkness. The looked like snakes with exposed razor sharp claws in their mouths and had lines of red along their sides. They began to hiss at the mercenaries, who all looked like they were about ready to piss themselves. All of a sudden, small holes of darkness appeared on either side of Jackie and out came impish looking creatures with the same glowing white eyes. They looked towards their prey with wicked grins and snickered.

The Darkness then encased Jackie in dark gray armor. "...Kill them all." Jackie ordered as the last bit of armor covered his face and at that moment, the darkling creatures and the serpents flew towards the mercenaries. The mercs then opened fire on the Darkness host. One of the serpents grabbed one of the mercenaries by the neck and raised him off the ground. It then tossed him into the air while the other serpent sliced him in half right down the middle. One darkling approached one of the mercs, who tried to shoot him. The darkling dodged the gunfire and launched itself onto him and latched onto his face. The darkling the headbutted the merc, sending him to the ground. It then ripped his throat out with it's claws.

The mercenaries tried to shoot Jackie but to no avail as his armor caused the incoming bullets to bounce right off of him. One even tried to kill Jackie with a gunshot to the head. It had no effect as the bullet bounced off his face. Jackie looked at the mercenary who had the balls to try it. The man looked like he was ready to shit himself. Jackie then grabbed the man's head and squeezed it until it popped like a pimple. Seeing he dropped his weapon, Jackie made a tentacle from the shroud and had it grab the down soldier's weapon and place it in his hand.

Concentrating, Jackie empowered the gun with dark energy. Firing the gun emitted a purple flash as bullets encased in purple energy left the barrel of the gun. Each hit did tremendous damage to whoever was unlucky to be hit by Jackie. One mercenary that was hit in the chest had a huge hole in his chest and one had his head completely blown off. As Jackie and the darklings began to massacre the mercenaries, one who was taking cover behind a pillar witnessing the carnage readied his weapon to try and kill Jackie. He didn't even notice a serpent on the ground next to him as it stood up to see him eye level. Feeling something next to him, he slowly looked to his side and saw the serpent. The serpent roared at him and then plunged it's fangs into his throat and ripped out his throat, killing him instantly.

When all was said and done, the mercenaries all lied dead on the floor. Jackie relished in his victory until he heard what appeared to be someone struggling as he had a large stab wound in his stomach from a tentacle Jackie made earlier . HE looked and saw that the leader was crawling to a assault rifle one of his men dropped to try and take a few more shots at Jackie. As he was just about to grab the gun, another tentacle wrapped around his torso and lifted him off the ground. The tentacle then brought the leader of the Extra Order face to face with Jackie, who dissipated his armor.

"I tried to give you all a chance to walk away, but you refused. All these deaths are on you pal." Jackie to the man, who looked scared halfway out of his mind. Jackie just smiled at his expression. "What's wrong? Where was all that bravado earlier, huh?"

"W-w-w-what the hell are you?" He asked. One of the serpents then made itself known and looked at the leader in the eye.

"I'm...complicated." Jackie responded as the serpent then launched itself into the leader's mouth. It slithered down his throat until he finally reached his heart. "Ever see the original Alien? Spoiler alert." Jackie said as the serpent then emerged from the leaders chest with his heart in his mouth. The leader then watched as the creature swallowed his heart whole. The creature then retracted itseldf out of his body and went back to Jackie. The tentacle then dissipated and the leader fell to the ground lifeless. Jackie then dissipated his powers and looked around the bar at the massacre. He noticed that Dutch, Revy and Benny were nowhere in sight. "Hmmm, I wonder where they ran off to. I should probably check the docks." He then heard more mercenaries enter the bar with their weapons pointed at Jackie.

"Jesus, you guys just don't know when to quit do you?" Jackie asked rhetorically as he held out his right hand and pointed towards the mercs. What happened next was a small black hole appeared before them and began to suck them in. The mercs tried to get away put the force of the suction was too great and one by one they were pulled into the black hole. Jackie then closed his hand, dissipating the black hole and crushing the remaining mercenaries with the gravity. "Now, where was I going?" He asked himself. Then he snapped his finger at remembering. "The docks, that's right. Sorry about the bar Bao." He apologized before exiting the establishment. He closed his eyes and focused. Suddenly, demonic like wings sprouted from his back. He bent his knees and took off into the air and flew towards the docks, hoping to catch up to the pirate crew.

Meanwhile, the red Roadrunner was weaving in and out of traffic trying to get to it's destination. Benny looked scared half way out of his mind as he drove. "Jesus Christ, what the hell was that Dutch?!" He asked.

"Damned if I know Benny-boy. But one thing is for sure, we didn't sign up for whatever the hell that was back there. Just keep driving. Revy, you see anything?"

Revy was in the back seat looking out the back window. "Nothing Dutch. What the hell was that back there?"

"Like I said I don't know Revy. I've seen a lot of crazy shit especially back in Nam and even more so since I came here, but something like that looked like something straight out of Revelations." Dutch replied. Dutch was a Marine during the Vietnam war before he went AWOL. Being a soldier, he had seen things in his life that would give a grown man nightmares for the rest of their lives, but this was the first time the usually calm and collected captain felt unsure about.

Arriving at the docks, the crew got out of the vehicle and headed towards the boat with Dutch leading. "Alright I'll start her up. We should be able to get to Belawan before daybreak."

"You know that wasn't very nice leaving back there like that." The three heard a familiar voice an looked to see Jackie sitting casually on the top of the PT boat. Dutch and Revy upholstered their weapons and pointed them at Jackie, who responded by creating tentacles that wrapped around the two and pinned them to the ground. "Look you don't need to be afraid of me killing you guys. If I wanted to kill you I would have done it back at the ship." He responded to the crew.

Dutch looked up to the former hitman. "What the hell are you Estacado?" He asked.

Jackie just scratched his head casually as if the question was normal for him. "Honestly, if I told you guys you would either try to kill me because of what I am or think I belong in an asylum."

"W-what you are? What do mean by that?" Benny asked, his mind racing a mile a minute and swimming with questions about just what the hell Jackie Estacado was.

"I think you guys are owed an explaination. How about we go inside, get comfortable and I'll tell you guys about what I did back there."

Dutch and Revy thought for a minute before Dutch decided to give an answer. "Alright, you win Estacado, just let us go and we'll talk it out. Like you said if you wanted to kill us you would have done it already so we owe you that much." Jackie nodded his head and made the tentacles holding the two gunslingers disappear. Dutch and Revy holstered their weapons and everyone was led to the galley of the ship. Everyone took their seat and all eyes were pointed to Jackie.

"Alright, you said you explain so start." Demanded Dutch.

"Well we can skip childhood and adolescence and go right to the good part. I remember the night of my twenty-first birthday...that was the first time I died." Began Jackie.

 **And done. And with that the Darkness has made itself known and the Extra Order were the first to become it's first victims. Sorry if the fight in the bar was short, I'm not too well with fight scenes but hopefully it's still alright. Anyway next chapter Jackie opens up to the Lagoon Company and Jackie meets one of the big wigs of Roanapur. How will the Lagoon Company react when they realize Jackie is a host for an unholy demonic creature that predates creation itself and how it has cursed him and his family. Find next time on The Darkness in the City of the Dead Chapter 2: The Hitman's Story. See you all next time.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Hello all, TravyMcNavy184 here with the next chapter of The Darkness in the City of the Dead. This chapter Jackie will discuss his past and his powers with the Lagoon Company. Before I start I'll answer some reviews. Riggnorok and ravens18, for the pairing I'm not sure who Jackie will pair with given Revy's personality, Jackie still being in love with Jenny and Eda being affiliated with the CIA, but depending on how the story goes I'll see who Jackie will end up with. Hope this answers your questions. Anyway here is the next chapter. As always, I own nothing.**

Chapter 2

The Hitman's Story

Revy and Benny looked just as confused as Dutch when Jackie made that statement. They looked at him like he was some kind of lunatic. "It goes like this." Jackie began. "On the morning of my birthday, my boss Uncle Paulie, sent me and two of my friends to collect some money from a schmuck who owed him. It didn't end up going the way we thought and the next thing I knew, I got sucker punched and knocked out. When he found out, he was pissed the fuck off. We thought the only way to try and get back on his good side was to whack a construction foreman he put a contract on at a local construction site. We made it to the construction site, well I did anyway since my friends got killed on the way. Anyway, after killing everyone who tried protecting the guy, I found his office, but no foreman, just a TV. Right when I walked in, Paulie came on it, saying crap like how 'I've been a pain in his ass since the day we met, pissing and moaning about how things were run in the family.' and crap like that. Then he said he had a little 'birthday present' for me in the closet." Jackie explained using air quotes with his fingers for emphasis. "The present turned out to be the foreman I was supposed to kill already dead with a hole in his head and with about three pounds of C4 strapped to his chest. I managed to get out of there before it exploded. I smashed through a glass ceiling and was able to land on the ground. That was the first time he tried to kill me."

Revy just whistled at what the former hitman said. "Damn, your boss tried to whack you?! What exactly did you do to piss him off?"

"Yeah from what I read this guy adopted you from the orphanage you grew up in. Why would he try to kill you?" Asked Benny.

"He tried to kill me because he was paranoid. He thought I was gunning for his throne. Paulie and I never agreed on a lot of things, primarily how he ran the family. He didn't believe in the old ways and traditions like I did. He peddled drugs on the streets, worked side by side with the cops, he even killed our old business associates and their families. Plus he only adopted me in the first place because he needed another hitman" Jackie answered the gunslinger and mechanic. "Anyway, when I realized it, I ran for it and later found myself taking refuge from Paulie's hit squad in a bathroom in Trinity Cemetery. It was there where these 'powers' of mine manifested."

"Your 'powers'? You mean that freaky deaky shit you did in the dark back at the bar, right?" Asked Revy.

"Yep. From what I learned about it, it's called The Darkness. It is an ancient entity that is as old as creation itself. It is the embodiment of evil, chaos and death. When my powers manifested, I killed all the guys Paulie sent after me in the cemetery. Believe me when I say that when the Darkness awakened that night, I felt...powerful. Like nothing that sack of shit Paulie ever threw at me would be able to stand in my way. Of course there came a catch to use them."

"What kind of catch." Inquired Benny.

Jackie then brought out one of the serpents, which put the crew on edge, Revy and Dutch reaching for their guns, but Jackie put up a hand to show he wasn't going to hurt them. "Calm down, I'm Just showing you guys something."

" **DON'T DO IT JACKIE."**

Jackie mentally commanded the serpent to go towards a small light that was on in the cabin they were in and just like that, it looked like it dissolved in the light, surprising everyone present. "Woah!" Exclaimed Revy.

"So as you can see, I can only use my powers in the dark." The Lagoon Company took a mental note of that detail. "Anyway, after my powers awakened and I killed Paulie's goons in the cemetery, I had to go find my then girlfriend, Jenny Romano. With everything that happened that day I had to make sure she was okay." At the mention of the name, Revy remembered hearing that name when she first met Jackie. 'Jenny, isn't that the name he shouted earlier?' Revy thought. "After I found her place in Chinatown and learned she was okay, I stayed around for a bit to be sure she was safe. After she fell asleep, I left and decided it was time to put a dent in Paulie's operation. I met up with a friend of mine named Butcher Joyce at a restaurant across the street from Jenny's place. From there he told me I should kill one of his main drug suppliers, a schmuck by the name of Dutch Oven Harry. As you may guess, after finding him, he tried to run away and sent his goons after me. After killing them, I cornered Harry and killed him by throwing him in front of a passing subway train. After that, Paulie just spiraled down further."

"What did he do?" Asked Benny.

"When I killed Dutch Oven Harry, Paulie was pissed. So pissed he blew up the orphanage where Jenny and I grew up, killing a lot of people, most of the victims were little kids who lived there, all for the purpose of getting back at me." This bit of information came as a shock to Dutch and Benny, Even Revy raised an eyebrow at what the former hitman had told them. "So what happened next?" Asked Benny.

"After I heard of the explosion on the news, I met up with Jenny and a friend of mine named Jimmy the Grape at the subway station on Fulton Street, which was right next to the orphanage. Now Jimmy was one of the Franchetti Family's oldest associates, one who believed in the old ways and hated what Paulie was doing to the family. From him he told me another way to hurt Paulie, apparently he had a slaughterhouse in the area that he used as a safe house for his money and drugs. He told me that if I destroyed that, Paulie would be hurt even worse. Before I left I asked Jimmy to look after Jenny, to which he wholeheartedly agreed, saying he would never let anything happen to her." Jackie answered the mechanic.

Jackie sighed before he continued. "After I made it to location, I got into a little firefight with Paulie's guys who were guarding the stash. With The Darkness in hand, killing them proved to be easier than usual. After I killed every cocksucker that guarded the stash. Eventually I found the room where Paulie kept his money and few drugs he had left on hand and lit it all on fire. After that, I went back to the subway to meet up with Jimmy and Jenny, only to find Jimmy on the ground looking like he went a couple rounds with Mike Tyson and got his ass kicked and Jenny missing. Jimmy told me Paulie and his buddy Eddie Shrote, who was a captain in the NYPD on Paulie's payroll, got the jump on him and took Jenny to the orphanage." Jackie clenched his fists tightly before continuing. "I ran all the way to the orphanage, not slowing down until I got there. I swore I was gonna make those two cocksuckers pay for even thinking about laying a hand on Jenny. In my time as a hitman I learned that when you kill for a living, life is only precious to you when you're staring down the barrel of a gun or when someone you care about is. Paulie could have my life and my possessions. He could have everything I owned in this world. Everything except for her. ANYTHING!" Jackie shouted.

Dutch and Benny were on the edge of their seats at the story, Benny even hoping that Jackie used his powers to save Jenny. At this point, Revy took out and lit a cigarette. "...And let me guess, you used your superpower to save the damsel in distress, kill the bad guys and lived happily ever after, right?" Revy said with a bit of a sarcastic tone all the while blowing out smoke.

Jackie just glared at her, making even Revy flinch. They say if looks could kill, Revy would be dead right now, but he shook his head. "I wish that were the case, but it isn't. As soon as I found them, the thing that gave me my powers restrained me and forced me to watch the only woman I ever loved, the only bit of light I had in my life get her brains blown out right in front of me." Jackie said, shocking the Lagoon company even further. "But...why would it do that?" Benny asked.

"Because The Darkness wanted me to know who was in control. In it's words, it wanted me to know that 'I was it's puppet'" Answered Jackie.

"Jesus Estacado! The way you're talking about it, you make it sound as if this 'thing' of yours is alive or something." Revy exclaimed.

"That's because it is Revy. While I have control of it's powers, The Darkness itself has a mind and will of it's won. It feeds off the misery and death of others and this in turn makes it stronger and harder to control. Anyway, after Paulie and Shrote got away, The Darkness released me and I entered the room where Jenny was killed. All I did was stare at her lifeless body, images of her getting killed flashed though my mind, all the while The Darkness chuckled. Telling me crap like I was free and Jenny was 'a burden'. I saw the gun Paulie used to kill her and I picked it up. After that, I decided that I couldn't continue living without Jenny so...I took Paulie's gun... put in my mouth...and pulled the trigger." To say the Lagoon Company was beyond shocked at this would be the understatement of the century. "And that...that was the first time I died." Jackie finished.

"Wait, if you killed yourself Jackie, how is it you're still alive?" Dutch asked.

"That is where things get interesting...or weird depending on what you think." Jackie began. "As soon as I died, I woke up in a strange world which at first, I thought was hell. The weird thing is, the place looked like World War I never ended. There were tanks, planes, trenches, even people wearing what looked like American and German uniforms. After making my way across the landscape, killing a few German soldiers along the way, I met with an American soldier who told me to meet up with a man in the church in the village. When I got there, the man waiting for me introduced himself as Anthony Estacado."

Hearing Jackie's last name caught their interest. "Estacado!?" Inquired Dutch. "As in..."

Jackie nodded his head. "As in my last name, yeah. As it turned out, he was my great-great grandfather and he told me that it was his fault that he brought The Darkness into our family."

"How was it his fault?" Inquired Benny.

"He didn't tell me much. All he told was that when he was about to die in the war and he ended up making a deal with The Darkness, becoming it's host. Ever since then The Darkness has passed down from father to son in the Estacado family, all the way to me."

"So your great-great granddaddy told you about The Darkness, what happened after that?" Revy decided to ask, looking like she was on the edge of her seat, like the good part was just coming up. "He told me of a way I could control The Darkness, saying there were two relics further outside the village somewhere in No Man's Land that could help with that. As it turned out, the relics were these guns that were made to channel dark essence into them and use them as projectiles." He explained as he manifested the guns in his hands, showing them to the crew. Revy looked at the guns and had the look of a little kid in a candy store. "Once I got my hands on these, I went back to the village, where Anthony told me The Darkness keeps itself inside an old castle and the only way in it was to blow a hole in it's wall using a massive cannon just outside the castle." He finished before dissipating the guns. "I managed to get to the cannon by cutting through the catacombs beneath the village, killing some Germans that guarded the place along the way. After I got the cannon moving, The Darkness finished fixing me and pulled me back to the world of the living."

"Wait a minute, 'it' fixed you? So you're telling us that The Darkness ended up saving your life and brought you back?" Asked Dutch.

"It's not really that simple Dutch. The Darkness didn't exactly do it out of the kindness of it's heart. Anthony told me that The Darkness needs a human host to stay alive. Unless it found another host, it will always keep it's current host alive no matter what it took, it's selfish that way. While I was taking a little tour of the other world, The Darkness would repair my body until it was ready to pull me back."

"Once I was back in the real world, I went to see my Aunt Sarah. She was the wife of the previous Don of the Franchetti Family before that parasite Paulie took over and pretty much raised me to be a proper man, despite my shortcomings. Anyway, I told her what happened, to me and to Jenny and I told her that I planned to make those two motherfuckers pay for what they did to us but I couldn't do it without her blessing, which she gave right away. However she told me that there was no way I could get to Paulie without first taking out his little butt buddy Eddie first. She told me he lived in an apartment somewhere in Gun Hill and told me of the guy who owned it, guy named Abe Hunter. After finding him, he gave me a key that let me into the building to take Eddie out. I tried to kill that little rat shit, killing any cops who tried to protect him in the process, but he still managed to get away in a chopper. After that he officially put on the NYPD's shoot-to-kill list."

Revy chuckled at Jackie's recollection. "God damn, you killed cops, you tried to kill a police captain and made it to the shoot-to-kill list and you managed to survive all that shit. God damn, brand new respect for you Estacado." She replied.

"Heh, Eddie always was a piece of shit even before I knew him. From what I learned about him, Eddie was a stone cold psycho who got his rocks off exploiting people and making them afraid of him. And the cops under his command were no different, either being as corrupt or psychotic as he was. Nobody was ever gonna miss those pieces of shit. Anyway, I needed a new plan to get to Eddie and Butch told me just how to do it. He told me that Eddie had a briefcase full of evidence about his dealings with Paulie, dealings that could put both of those fuckers away for good. Butch told me that Eddie kept the briefcase under heavy guard at the abandoned Turkish Baths."

"The Turkish Baths? You mean that rundown shithole over by the City Hall Station?" Asked Revy.

"The one in the same, Revy. Once I got there, the place was crawling with pieces of shit who worked for Eddie. I fought my way through the bath house, killing any of his dogs who got in my way of getting to the briefcase. When all was said and done, the Turkish Baths was turned into a slaughterhouse. I was able to find the briefcase, but that cocksucker Shrote wasn't about to let me have it, not without a fight. He pretty much sent everything he had to stop me; cops, S.W.A.T, even a police chopper, but I managed to kill every last little shit who stood in my way and I even brought down the chopper too." Everyone digested the information as Jackie told them. Revy looked like she was enjoying his story. Revy always hated cops and to hear Jackie killing them, she was savoring every juicy detail. "After I got the briefcase, I met up with Butch at the bathroom in the subway station. He took the case and rigged it with a bomb, a nice little way to make sure Eddie went out with a 'bang'. After that, I got a message from Eddie and I called the cocksucker to set up a meet to get his things back. As you can imagine, he was pissed off as all hell I took his shit and killed his guys. With that said, I told him to meet me at Trinity Church and to bring 50,000 in unmarked bills and to come alone."

"With how you described this Shrote guy, you had to have known it was gonna be a trap Jackie, so why go along with it?" Asked Dutch.

"I knew it was a trap Dutch, but I had a plan cooking in my head. I had to get back to that place I went to the first time and the only way to do that-"

"Was to kill yourself again." Benny finished.

"Exactly Benny, and I figured If I was gonna die again, I might as well have that fucker Eddie keep me company on the ride down. Once I got to the church, Eddie told me to put the briefcase on the alter. Once I did, Eddie and his remaining boys jumped me, or tried to anyway. They thought they could get to me by cutting the power in the church, but that was a stupid move. With the Darkness in hand, I slaughtered every last cocksucker left and right. I was just about to tear Eddie a new asshole until he and few remaining guys threw in flashbangs. With my powers disabled and me disoriented, they got the jump on me and managed to restrain me. Once I woke up, I was greeted with a bright light and a shotgun in my face. Eddie wanted to know who told me about his little evidence lockup at the Turkish Baths, but I told him to go to hell. He didn't take it very well and then took a power drill and started drilling holes in my face to try and get me to talk. After a while, the drill broke and so Eddie tried to fix it. While he was doing that, I was left alone with two of his remaining officers. After I pissed them off and goaded them on enough to get the light out my face, I activated my powers once again and detonated the bomb in the briefcase, killing Eddie, the last of his goons, and myself in the process. And that...that was the second time I died."

"So you killed yourself again and woke up in Hell again. Right?" Asked Revy.

"Sure did. I found myself back on the cannon and it stopped in front of a creepy looking castle. I tried to fire on it, but realized it had no ammo to destroy the wall. With that, I met up with Anthony again and I got into one of his tanks and we both went out to look for one, taking out anything that got in our way. We managed to find one in a munitions depot by the castle. The shell, however was guarded by a giant demon who managed to get a good hit on Anthony. I managed to kill it, but Anthony didn't make it. Before he died, he told me about 'a light in The Darkness.'"

"Hold on their Jackie, if Anthony was already in Hell, if he died he would have just came back, right? Isn't that how the afterlife usually works?" Inquired Dutch.

"Usually yes, but not this time Dutch. The world I was in was controlled by The Darkness. A world that bends to it's will. What Anthony was trying to tell me was a way to get it under control, so to keep him from revealing anything further, The Darkness had to silence him...permanently."

"So did you have any idea what you're great-great grandfather meant about a light in the Darkness, Jackie?"

"I think so Benny. It took me a while to realize but then it hit me. You see, from the moment I got to that world, I noticed that The Darkness was trying to get me to stop what I was doing and even more so as soon as I got closer to the castle. Now why would it do that?" He asked rhetorically. Dutch, Revy, and Benny looked at each other and thought for a moment, but couldn't come up with an answer. After a bit, Jackie spoke once again. "Because the place I was in wasn't just Hell, call me crazy but I think I was inside the mind of The Darkness." That surprised the Lagoon company greatly but they understood, well almost everyone.

"I don't get it, how does being in that thing's mind make your situation better?" Asked Revy, obviously not grasping the concept.

"I think I get it. The Darkness tried to get you to stop while you were there because it was in that place that it was at it's most vulnerable. The only time you can ever try and gain complete control over it was when you were in that world." Benny deduced correctly.

Jackie snapped his fingers. "Exactly Benny. After I managed to get the shell and loaded it into the cannon, I fired right at the castle's front door. Once I went inside, I could feel The Darkness within me start to get scared. I could feel it's agitation. It knew I was dangerously close to owning it and it tried to convince me to turn back, even saying that it could reunite me with Jenny. But I wasn't listening, it just wanted to stop me and I came too far to turn back now. After some walking I found myself in a chamber where I managed to call The Darkness and it materialized itself right in front of me. At first I didn't know what to think of it, it almost looked like looking in a twisted mirror. Seriously it looked like the girl from The Exorcist had a baby with Hellraiser. When it manifested, I tried to fight it off but it kept pushing me back, summoning darklings to try and rip me apart and creating black holes to try and suck me furter into oblivion. It seemed no matter what I did or how hard I tried, nothing worked. That was when I heard a voice coming from behind it. It was Jenny, she was telling me that I couldn't fight it, that using violence would get me nowhere with it. At first I didn't know what she meant, but then I knew what I had to do."

"Hmmmm, from the way your making it sound Jackie, it sounds like instead of fighting it, you had to surrender to it instead." Dutch deduced.

"Give the man a prize." Jackie said. "Yeah, as soon as I put my guns away, I walked towards the creature. He tried to push me back with more of it's attacks, but amazingly, they didn't do anything to me. As soon as I touched the creature, it was absorbed into my body. At that point, I was finally able to gain control of The Darkness, however now that I was in control, it would come with a price."

"What kind of price?" Asked Revy.

"Before I woke up in the real world, it told me that with every life I took, The Darkness would grow closer and closer to owning my soul. Meaning that if I was still hell bent on killing Paulie and the rest of his goons, whatever control I had over The Darkness would be gone completely and I would truly end up becoming a monster." Jackie explained. "But like I said before, I came too far to let that fucking leech get away with anymore of his shit, so after waking up, I went to my Aunt Sarah's place again and she and Butch told me that Paulie had a ship that brought in drugs he gets from the Chicago families and it would arrive at the Waterfront later that night, all I had to do was use a radio to call it into the port. They told me that if I put a few holes in the ship as well as the crew, the Chicago families would cut all ties with Paulie and he'd be left with his ass hanging in the wind. So that's what I did, I killed the crew and their captain and destroyed everything on that boat. Doing that however really pissed off Paulie. He sent a whole hit squad to my Aunt Sarah's home with the intent to kill her and my friends. I managed to get back in time to help them kill off the rest of Paulie's goons."

"After everything, Butcher told me that with his ties to the Chicago families were severed, Paulie retreated to a light house he had renovated the year before. He told me the only way to get there was by boat. Before leaving, Jimmy the Grape offered me the position of Don of the family."

Now everyone was truly surprised. To think that someone as young as Jackie would be given an offer to lead a whole crime family. Revy was even drooling at the money Jackie would be raking in as Don. But what Jackie said next was even more surprising. "I gave it some thought, but ultimately decided not to take the job."

"What, are you insane Estacado?!" Exclaimed Revy. "You turned down an opportunity like that. How could you?"

"I told Jimmy that after what happened to Jenny, I needed to get away and try and figure things out. Besides, I didn't really think I have the kind of ambition to become the Don, if anything Jimmy should have been Don. He knows the inner workings of the family better than I do. But I did tell him that I would consider the job while I was away, which he ultimately accepted. Anyway with everything said, I left my Aunt Sarah's house and headed for the Waterfront to meet up with the guy who could take me to the lighthouse. Once I got to the lighthouse, it was already daytime. You think I would be at a disadvantage but it was around the time a solar eclipse occurred. Thanks to that I had no problem using my powers to kill every last one of Paulie's little army who tried to protect that piece of shit. Once I got to the mansion, I don't how or why but the Darkness took control of my body and it started killing fucks left and right but I was still conscience and seeing the carnage play out. After I regained control, everyone of Paulie's goons were in the ground dead. I didn't understand it but as long as nothing an nobody else got in my way I didn't care. Paulie was still alive and made it to the top of the lighthouse, so I went after him. We engaged in a gunfight when I managed to wing him. He tried to say crap like we were both in the wrong and that our relationship could be fixed, he even tried to bribe me to let him live. Pfft, classic fucking Paulie. But nothing was going to stop me now. I bent down, put a gun to his head and shot him between the eyes, but not before cursing me, saying he would see me in hell. After that, The Darkness said I was his now and then everything went black." After that explanation, Jackie took a deep breath and ran his hands through his hair before finishing. "And that...that was the end of the line."

"Hold on there, you said that The Darkness owned you at that point right?" Inquired Benny. "How is it you still have your sanity and don't look like...I don't know, look like, as you put it, The Exorcist's and Hellraiser's love child?"

"You know Benny, I asked myself that very same question. When I came to I was still at the top of the lighthouse next to Paulie's body. I couldn't really explain it, I don't know if it was sheer force of will or some other divine intervention, but I still had my sanity. I tried asking The Darkness and it just gave me some cryptic bullshit. After that, I managed to get back to the city and went back to my place. I packed up my things and for the last few weeks I've been going around the East coast until I found myself on a boat when I met up with you guys."

"Hmmm, you know Jackie, I gonna go out on a limb here and say you didn't come to Roanapur just to get away from everything, did you?" Asked Dutch.

"Hmph, you're more perceptive than you look Dutch. You're right, it wasn't because it was a place to disappear. After the thing at the lighthouse, I started to look into the supernatural and the occult, anything that could help me contain The Darkness. While I was in Florida, I met a voodoo priestess who told me she knew someone in a place called Roanapur who was supposedly an expert in dark essence and the like. And the rest as you know is history. So...what do you guys think?" Nobody answered Jackie just yet, and honestly Jackie couldn't blame them. He got up and stretched before saying "I'll leave you guys to discuss this so if you need me I'll be on the deck of the boat. But before I go, I would appreciate it if you guys kept quiet about The Darkness and what I told you. I really don't need the attention." With that he left the room to go the deck.

The Lagoon Company stayed in silence until Revy decided to break the silence. "God damn! That is one seriously fucked up story."

"Hell yeah, definitely one Stephen King, H.P Lovecraft, and Dean Koontz couldn't have written any better." Benny replied.

"So what do you think Dutch?"

Dutch too out a cigarette and lit it up. He pondered for a few moments before answering. "Honestly Revy, with everything Jackie told us and what we saw him he pull off back at the Yellow Flag, I'm seriously thinking about going back to church on Sundays."

"But do you think he was lying about anything?"

"Why would he lie Benny Boy? He basically told us his life story. He wouldn't do that unless he thought he could trust us. Jackie is a wise guy, trust is a big issue with these guys and like I said, he wouldn't have opened up to us like that unless he was sure he could trust us."

"But do you think we could trust him Dutch?"

"I'm still a little on edge knowing that Jackie houses an ancient evil entity that predates time itself within his body. An entity that could tear apart anyone stupid enough to get in it's host's way, but suffice it to say; Jackie I trust, it's his demon I don't. I think if we don't piss him or The Darkness off, we should be fine." Revy and Benny nodded their heads at Dutch's statement. Revy then looked towards where Jackie exited the room, her mind thinking about the former hitman and the story he told them.

Up on the deck of the boat, Jackie sat on the edge of the boat as it slowly sailed through the ocean. The night was just about gone and the sun was starting to rise. Jackie once again looked at the picture of him and Jenny. He still contemplating whether or not it was a good idea to tell the Lagoon Company about The Darkness. It was then that the Darkness decided to voice it's opinion. **"YOU SHOULD HAVE STAYED QUIET JACKIE."**

"They had a right to know. If I'm gonna be riding with these guys for a while, I don't want to be keeping secrets from them." Jackie responded to the voice in his head. "Besides, it's not like they know of any way to kill us no matter how hard they might try. Dutch and Benny I don't think I have to worry about."

 **"AND THE WOMAN?"**

"I don't know, she's the wild card for now. There's really no telling when she'll explode for no apparent reason but I think I can trust her, for now any. I can trust all of them for now." Jackie replied.

" **I LIKE HER JACKIE, SHE WOULD MAKE A PERFECT CARRIER FOR OUR NEXT HOST."**

"I doubt Revy is at all interested in making any kids." Jackie replied to the demonic entity. It was then he heard footsteps behind him. He looked to see a familiar plum haired gunslinger. 'Well, well, speak of the devil.' He thought. "Hey there Revy, you need something?"

"Just wanted to tell you that took guts opening up like you did, even though we barely know one another." Revy replied with a hint of respect in her voice.

"I wanted to make sure you guys could trust me and ensure there were no secrets between us."

"Well I gotta tell ya Estacado, that was one really twisted story you told us. But also what you did back at the Yellow Flag, even I have to admit, that...was...fucking...awesome. Especially those imp things that were tearing out throats." Revy admitted with a chuckle, causing Jackie to chuckle as well.

"Those imps are called darklings. I can summon four different types; Beserker for melee, kamikaze to blow shit and people up, gunners for crowd control, and light killers to kill the lights to give me more of an edge." Jackie explained surprising Revy. "Damn, you got something for everything don't you?" Revy asked rhetorically.

"I'm guessing you don't get a lot of shit like The Darkness in a place like Roanapur, do you Revy."

"Try never Estacado. Honestly I never was one to believe in any of that angel and demon bullshit. I always thought the supernatural was just a load of shit altogether. But after seeing that action back at the bar, I guess the world's a much bigger place than I thought."

"Didn't believe in angels and demons huh? You obviously never had the displeasure of meeting Father Alonso."

"Who?" Revy asked raising an eyebrow.

"Father Alonso. He was a priest who used to come by the orphanage when Jenny and I were kids. Yeah, yeah I know what you're thinking and no it ain't that kind of story. Anyway this guy must have been like a thousand years old or something, a real fire and brimstone kind of guy. He used to tell us kids that hell wasn't some bullshit story they made up to keep us in line, it was fucking real. A real fucked up place where all the deadbeats, dealers, hookers, and junkies all ended up. And if we weren't careful, that's exactly where we were headed. I was a kid, didn't really know what to believe and when I turned 21, it turned out that old kook was right all along."

"Like I said, world's a much bigger place." Revy responded. It was then that she received a message from her earpiece.

'Revy, can you hear me.' Benny said over the radio.

"Yeah I read you Benny, what's going on?"

" **DEATH APPROACHES US JACKIE"**

'Something is coming right at us at high speed. Definitely not a boat, not at this speed. It's at about three o'clock, zero degrees. Do you see anything?'

whap whaP whAP wHAP WHAP

Jackie and Revy heard a noise coming from the general direction Benny said. It was a sound the two gunslingers were all too familiar with. The noise kept getting louder and louder until they looked to see an assault helicopter armed to the teeth with weapons coming towards them. The chopper flew past them but soon circled around and fired missiles at the PT boat. """"OH SHIT!"""" Everyone shouted. "HANG ON EVERYONE!" Shouted Dutch as he steered the vessel out of the way of the chopper's missiles. Revy then went to the boat's gun locker, grabbed a high powered sniper rifle and began unloading on it.

Jackie looked to see that the bullets weren't doing anything to the chopper. The chopper had some really thick armor on it. Jackie knew that if he used either his darkness guns or his black hole ability he could take it down no problem. The only problem was the sun was beginning to rise and eliminating any traces of darkness. Jackie knew if he couldn't find a way to bring it down then he and the Lagoon company would be sitting ducks. He looked to his right and noticed a lagoon with plenty of trees. Trees means shadows and shadows mean he could use his powers. An idea was already forming in his head.

"Revy!" Jackie called out to her.

"Kinda busy here Estacado in case you hadn't noticed." She replied.

"Throw me your earpiece, I need to talk to Dutch."

"What now?"

"Just do it."

Revy just groaned but obliged to the request and went back to trying to shoot down the chopper, which in turned returned fire. She took her earpiece out and threw it Jackie, who caught it and put it to his ear. "Dutch, can you hear me?"

"This better be good Jackie." The captain replied trying to avoid the incoming machine gun fire.

"It is. Listen there is a lagoon coming up at your nine o'clock."

Dutch looked to his right and indeed saw the lagoon. "Yeah I see it Jackie so what?"

"Go there."

"What, why?"

"Just go there Dutch I have an idea to take that thing down."

Dutch thought for a moment before answering. "Alright. I hope you know what you're doing Jackie." He replied before turning the PT boat towards the lagoon. In the chopper, the remaining mercenaries from the Extra Order saw this and they grinned. "They're headed for that lagoon." Said the co pilot. "Ha, they either have a death wish or they're just plain stupid. Let's kill these morons." The pilot replied.

Once they made it to the lagoon, Dutch turned the PT boat so that they were staring right at the chopper. "Jackie, we're in the line of fire, if you're gonna do something do it now." Revy said to The Darkness host. She was right, the chopper was fast approaching.

"We're almost in range to fire our remaining missiles." Said the co pilot.

"Once were in range, let 'em have it." Replied the pilot.

"Jackie, any time now." Said Dutch. Jackie saw the chopper approaching and grinned sadistically. Since they were stopped in the shadows, it was time to put his plan into action. Focusing, he materialized one the Darkness guns in his left hand. He then aimed the gun right at the chopper. Seeing this caused the pilot and co pilot to laugh.

"That guy is seriously gonna shoot at us? HAH! What a dipshit. Unload everything we got on them." The pilot commanded. The co pilot readied the missiles to fire at the PT boat.

Jackie continued to grin as he poured dark essence into the gun, took aim at the chopper and..."Fuck you assholes."

BOOOOM

The gun fired a sonic blast right smack dab at the cockpit, completely crushing the chopper like a soda can. And to add to it, the the chopper was pushed back all the way to the entrance to the lagoon before exploding. Seeing this caused Dutch, Benny, and Revy to look on shocked at the sight. Jackie twirled his gun around his finger before bringing it to his mouth and blew on the nozzle like a cowboy in a western movie. He then looked to Revy, who was still stupefied beyond belief. "That...is how you bring down a chopper." He said to the gunslinger before he dissipated the gun.

Jackie finally snapped out of her awe. "Eh, whatever, I've seen cooler ways to bring them down. And what the hell, I thought you couldn't use your powers in sunlight." Revy exclaimed.

"Yeah, I can't use them in sunlight. Nothing in the rule book saying I can't use the shadows." Jackie replied and chuckled. Revy just looked on in disbelief, as did Dutch and Benny, but it was soon replaced by relief.

"God damn, I sure am glad you're on our side." Dutch said as he adjusted his sunglasses and lit another cigarette.

"Yeah, remind me never to piss you off." Added Benny.

"Not that this isn't nice or anything, but I believe we still have a job to do." Jackie said.

Dutch realized he was right and started the PT boat back up. "Yeah you're right, lets get to the meeting point and get paid." At the captain's words, Jackie and Revy headed back into the boat as it started moving again.

The run in with the assault chopper was definitely not on their agenda, but the Lagoon Company managed to bring it down and make it to the port to meet up with the one who hired them for the job. Once they reached the port, they were greeted by a woman with long braided blonde hair, blue eyes and wearing a red business suit with pantyhose and heels and a green military jacket draped over her shoulders like a cape. The one thing that stuck out for Jackie was that the woman had burn scars on her beautiful face that led down to her neck.

'Damn, there's gotta be a story behind those burns on her body.' Jackie thought. He then saw that there were several men in military uniforms by the woman. 'Guessing this woman is these guy's boss. Why do they give off a military kind of vibe?'

"Good to see you all again." She spoke with a Russian accent as Dutch took out the disk and handed it to the woman. "I love smart work, Dutch. Although I have to say, you all look rather horrible."

"It's not like we were going to the Soho Charcuterie, so get off it." Replied Dutch.

The Russian woman simply smiled and walked towards a Japanese businessman. "Now then Mr. Kageyama, you did things your way and we did them ours." She said before holding up the disk. "Now...you won't hold any grudges against us, will you?"

The Japanese businessman, now known as Mr. Kageyame simply sighed at the Russian woman. "There's nothing I can do." He responded as he took the disk from the woman and slipped it into his coat.

"Fine then, we from Hotel Moscow shall uphold our moral code."

"Then it is settled. We'll discuss the details in our office." With that said, the man got into a car and it drove away. The woman then made her way to Dutch and the rest of the Lagoon Company. "As I said before, good work Dutch. You'll get a handsome bonus for your trouble." Dutch accepted this and Revy had a smile on her face, just like anything involving money did. The woman then looked towards Jackie. "And I must say, it is nice to officially meet you in person Jackie Estacado. Your reputation certainly precedes you."

Jackie was shocked that this woman knew his name, even the Lagoon Company were surprised. "Whoa, whoa, hold on sis, you know this guy?!" Revy asked shocked.

"You have me at a disadvantage ma'am. You seem to know me, but I don't know you." Replied Jackie.

"You may address me as Balalaika, I head Hotel Moscow. As for how I know you, I've heard about you from your employer, Mr. Paulie Franchetti."

"Wait, why the hell was Paulie dealing with the Russian Mob?"

"Mr. Franchetti was in the market for some weapons a while back and he was willing to pay handsomely for them." Replied the woman, now known as Balalaika. "Now the reason I know about you Mr. Estacado is because not only your employer but also some of you associates talked about you. They say your skills as a hitman are unparalleled ." She said as she took out a cigar and lit it.

"Well I aim to please Miss Balalaika."

Balalaika blew smoke from her mouth and looked back to the former hitman. " And your aim is dead on. Which is why I have a proposition to offer you." She said.

Hearing that caught Jackie's interest. "I'm listening."

"We would like you to offer your services as a contract killer to Hotel Moscow should we need them. In exchange for your work, not only will you be paid handsomely and offered a place here in Roanapur, but I also have a network of connections that expand outside of the city that you can use how you see fit."

Jackie thought about this for a moment. He needed to survive while he was in Roanapur and while he was working for the Lagoon Company, he didn't know when the next job would come up. He also thought why would the head of the Russian Mob want to help out like that by giving him a job and giving him access to her connections. "Why would you want help me like that Miss Balalaika. Aside from getting a hitman, why else would you go out of your way like that."

Balalaika blew smoke once again before answering. "Are you familiar with the name Roberto Estacado?"

Jackie and the Lagoon Company became wide eyed. They were surprised to learn that Balalaika knew about Jackie but to hear that she knew another person with the last name of Estacado was even more surprising. "Roberto...He was my great grandfather, if I remember my family tree correctly. How do you know that name Miss Balalaika?"

"My grandfather told me stories about him. My grandfather was a sergeant in the Red Army during the second world war who, along with a number of his troops, were captured and taken prisoner by the Nazis and held in the German countryside outside of Berlin. They tortured them for information. When they wouldn't give, the Nazis were about to kill them, beginning with my grandfather, when American soldiers raided where they were being held and rescued them. In fact, my grandfather told me that it was a man named Roberto Estacado who busted down the door and killed their captors before they could be executed. From that day forward, my grandfather swore to be forever in your great grandfather's debt. I see this proposition as a way of repaying the favor for what he did for my family. We are nothing if not grateful to those who come to our aid., Mr. Estacado, as I'm sure you are aware." Explained Balalaika.

Jackie couldn't believe the odds. Someone whose family member was saved by a member of his over 60 years ago. Jackie never really believed in fate, but after this, he was a believer now. He thought a bit about Balalaika's offer. After a few more moments, he gave his answer.

"I don't know what happened for us to meet like this. Fate, karma, God himself, but I guess we were supposed to meet for a reason and I guess this is it. I'll accept your offer Miss Balalaika...but I just have a few conditions."

"And they are?"

"First, no killing women unless I absolutely have a good reason to. Second, no matter the circumstances, absolutely no kids. And lastly, my going rate is 50,000 a hit. Those are my three conditions. You accept these and you got yourself a hitman."

"A hitman with morals, you don't see those everyday. Very well Mr. Estacado, we will abide by your terms. Just remember, morality doesn't have a long shelf life on this side of the world. When your life is on the line you can't always rely on your code of honor."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

With that she looked to Dutch. "Any chance you have an opening in your crew Dutch?"

Dutch sighed, having seen something like this coming from a mile away. After the story Jackie told him and his crew, he was still on edge, but he knew that Jackie could be trusted, especially after he used his powers to save there asses twice in one day. He then smiled and looked up to the Russian Mob head. "If Jackie here is willing to lend a hand on jobs we get, I won't turn him away. Especially after he took down that gunship and saved our asses."

"I second that, I think he'd make a better ally than enemy." Added Benny.

Revy just looked indifferent at the new addition to the Lagoon Company. She may have a new respect for Jackie from the story he told them, but just so long he didn't get in the way of her making money, she couldn't give less of a crap.

"Then it's settled." Said Balalaika. "The Lagoon Company's been a regular contact for Hotel Moscow for some time now and they always manage to get the job done when we need it to be. I'm sure you'll fit right in with them."

Jackie looked behind him to see the Lagoon company and smiled before he turned his attention back to Balalaika. "Yeah, they seem like a good bunch. They haven't given me a reason not to trust them so I'll throw them a bone." Jackie said as she shook Balalaika's hand, sealing the deal between the two.

Balalaika smiled and walked to her car, where a subordinate of hers, a tall man with short brown hair, brown eyes, and a large scar running from the right side of his forehead to his left cheek, opened the door for her. She got into the car and looked back to Jackie. "I look forward to working with you Mr. Estacado. Expect a job very soon. Bye now." With that her subordinate closed her door and got in the car on the opposite side. With both occupants in the car, it drove away.

" **MMMMMM...SHE SMELLS OF SAND AND BLOOD."** Said the Darkness in ecstasy. Jackie just ignored it as he walked back to the Lagoon Company.

"So do you think we can trust this man Kapitan?" The scarred man asked Balalaika.

"Jackie Estacado seems like an interesting individual. But it wouldn't hurt to know more about him and his work. Boris, I want you to find any and all information you can on Estacado, his history, the entirety of his family, his habits, everything. I want to know exactly who..is..Jackie Estacado?"

"It will be done, Kapitan." Responded the man now known as Boris.

 **And done. Jackie has opened up the Lagoon Company and now they know about The Darkness and Jackie's reason for being in Roanapur. Again sorry it took so long but you life tends to get in the way, but I will start posting more chapters more frequently. I assure you your patience will be rewarded. Next time Jackie gets settled into the City of the Dead and gets a first hand look at Revy's skill with guns against Luak and his lackeys. Next time on The Darkness in the City of the Dead, Chapter 3: First Day in Roanapur. Read and review, please nothing too mean and I'll start posting chapters for my other stories very soon. Until next time.**


	4. Chapter 3

**And here we are with the next chapter of The Darkness in the City of the Dead. Here Jackie will get his first taste of Roanapu and see first hand why Revy is often referred to as 'Two Hands'. Before we go on, I like to announce I am going to introduce an OC in this chapter. Let me know what you guys think of this OC. Anyway, read, relax, and enjoy.**

Chapter 3

First day in Roanapur

Roanapur, an old Thai port in southern Thailand. Once a refuge for deserters during the Vietnam War, now a haven for some of the worst villains and criminals of every race and nationality. Every matter of crook and psychopath call this backwater hellhole home. In the entrance of the gulf that leads to the port stands a large Buddha statue, which is supposed to "bring peace to the world." Ironic considering where it graces it's presence. Just recently Roanapur became the new home of Jackie Estacado, a former hitman for the Franchetti crime family back in New York and the newest host for The Darkness, an ageless, malevolent deity that is the embodiment of chaos, evil, and death.

Speaking of Jackie, he managed to find a cheap apartment to rent during his stay in Roanapur. Coincidentally, he lived in the same building as Revy and they were the only two tenants in the building, something about 'noise complaints' according to the landlord, which was probably code for Revy scared most if not all the tenants away because of her rampages. Jackie knew Revy had herself quite a temper from all the interactions the two had with each other, but not enough to scare people out of their home.

Jackie was currently in the market district of the city grabbing some things before heading back to the office. While walking, he eyed a vendor who was selling some fresh oranges. Jackie bagged some, paid the man, and started to head back to the office where the Lagoon Company does their business. On the way, he noticed something further up that caught his attention.

"Hmm, what's going on over there?"

A nun was speaking with a few men who looked like run of the mill gang members. The nun was a beautiful woman who appeared to be around the same age as Jackie with long, curly brown hair and green eyes, wearing a nun's habit and a gold cross around her neck handing the thugs what looked like an envelope filled with money. The gang members was surrounding the scared nun, what pissed off Jackie most was that everyone was going about their business, not doing anything.

" **MMMMM, THE SISTER REEKS OF INNOCENCE. SHE REMINDS ME OF JENNY."** The Darkness said in the former hitman's head. Jackie of course ignored the voice as he walked up to the people to see what was going on.

"We told you sister, this isn't enough." One of the thugs, obviously the leader, told the nun.

"Please, I told you, that's all we have." The nun replied to him.

"You're gonna have to do a lot better if you still want protection from us. Sure would be a shame is something were to happen to that orphanage with all those kids in it." Another thug discreetly threatened.

"No, please. I beg of you, isn't there some way we can work this out?" The nun begged.

The thugs looked at each other and grinned wickedly, then looked at the nun, a look of terror etched on her face. On of the thugs then walked behind her. "Well..." The thug said before he grabbed the nun's habit from the bottom and pulled it up, revealing the woman's panties, shocking and embarrassing her greatly. "Perhaps we can work out some kind of deal." He said in a perverted tone before chuckling at the sight before him. The nun jumped away from them, fixing her habit to cover herself, seeing that was the last straw for Jackie.

"Hey assholes!" Jackie called out to the thug, who turned to see who was calling them out. They caught a glimpse of Jackie who was holding a bag filled with fruit.

"Who the fuck are you?" Asked the leader.

"Looks like we got ourselves a greaseball looking to play hero." Replied one of the other thugs.

Jackie put his bag down and looked at the thugs with anger and hate in his eyes. If there was one thing Jackie hated, it's people who mess with little kids and women, especially women of the church. Jackie may not have fond memories of his time at St. Mary's Orphanage, but there were a few nuns there who were nice to Jackie and whom Jackie liked. "Honestly, harassing an innocent sister, is that how freaks like you get your rocks off around here?"

The thugs were offended at Jackie's question, and looked at him angrily. "Why don't you mind your own business you fuckin' wop?!" The last thug asked rhetorically, looking like he was about to jump in and beat up Jackie until his leader put his hand in front of him.

The leader the walked up to Jackie. "Look pal, this isn't your problem, so why don't you take your little bag of fruit and get the fuck lost while we go back to dealing with the sister, otherwise it's gonna get real ugly for you." Said the leader as he turned around to join his lackeys, until Jackie grabbed his shoulder and spun back around to face him.

"If you and you buddies don't get out of here now, you're all gonna need new sets of teeth." Jackie threatened. Now enraged, the leader took a swing at Jackie. Jackie caught his fist and then twisted it, causing the lead thug to writhe in pain. Jackie the delivered a powerful punch to his face. Jackie then released his fist, grabbed his face, and slammed him on the street. Jackie then looked at the two cronies, who were shocked that their leader was defeated so easily.

" **GO ON JACKIE. KILL THESE WORMS. MAKE THEM REGRET CROSSING YOU."**

"You fucking asshole!" One of them shouted as they both pulled out switchblade knives. Jackie wasn't at all intimidated by their weapons.

"Oh you guys got knives huh?" He asked rhetorically. "Well guess what?" Jackie then reached behind him and pulled out a gun. "I got a gun you cocksuckers!" He declared as he pointed it at the thugs, who were now frozen in their tracks. "Now, pick up your buddy and get the fuck lost otherwise you're gonna have to choose which asshole you want to shit out of." With that, the two remaining thugs grabbed their leader and ran in the opposite direction.

Before leaving, one of them looked back at Jackie with a furious look. "You're gonna regret this asshole. You hear me?!" Jackie just flipped them the bird as they ran off. He looked at the nun and walked up to her.

"Hey, are you alright?" Jackie asked the frighted nun, who looked at him with a grateful smile.

"I am. I appreciate you helping me, but...you have no idea who you just assaulted."

"Trust me sister, I've dealt with far worse than a few wise ass wannabe gang banging spit fucks like those assholes." Jackie responded to the nun. "If I may ask, what was your business with them anyway?"

The nun just looked at Jackie for a few moments before answering. "I and a couple of other sisters run an orphanage up the hill." She said pointing to a building that was visible where they were. Jackie looked to see the building and found it. "For a while now we've been having break ins and people began vandalizing the building. They came to us and offered protection." She explained. "As long as we payed them, they would keep away the 'undesirables' from the orphanage and recently we've fell on hard times, and now we can barely afford protection anymore."

"So that's why they harassed you like that?" The nun just shut her eyes in shame and looked away. Jackie then took out a piece of paper and pen and wrote down the number of the Lagoon Company's office as well as his personal pager number. "Listen, you don't have to rely on those assholes. If they or anyone else start giving you trouble, just call these numbers. The first one is the number of the office I work for and the other is my personal pager number. Just call either one and I'll help you any way I can." Jackie said as he handed the paper to the nun, who accepted it gratefully.

"Thank you sir. Thank you ever so much. I don't how to repay you."

"Well giving me your name would be a great start." Jackie replied.

The nun just chuckled at the former hitman. "It's Helena. Sister Helena Pearce."

"Helena, I like that name." Jackie said, causing the nun, now known as Helena, to chuckle once more and blush. "I'm Jackie Estacado, it's a pleasure to meet you sister."

"Likewise Mr. Estacado. And thank you again for what you did for me today. Now if you'll excuse me, I should be getting back to the orphanage. No doubt everyone is wondering where I am." Said Helena as she turned to walk away.

Jackie felt a little sorry for the nun because she said the orphanage wasn't doing well financially. "Hey Helena, hold up." He called out to the nun, who turned to look at Jackie. Jackie then reached into his coat and pulled out a large roll of money and handed it to Helena. "Here, hopefully this will help you guys out a bit." Helena was shocked at the large amount of money in his hand.

"Oh no Mr. Estacado, I couldn't possibly take your money." Helena said trying to refuse Jackie's offer, but he wasn't having it.

"Please, I insist. Consider it a donation to help out the kids." Jackie said. Helena was shocked that a complete stranger was just giving her all this money that she knows the orphanage needs. Not seeing any reason to continue arguing, she gratefully took the money with a genuine smile on her face.

"Oh thank you so much Mr. Estacado. You have no idea how much this means to us." Replied Helena.

"Your very welcome Helena. And you can stop calling me Mr. Estacado. Just call me Jackie."

"As you wish Jackie. And thanks again, you were definitely my angel today. I hope our paths cross again some day. Farewell for now." She said as she turned and walked away. Jackie smiled as he watched as the nun went on her way back to the orphanage. The smile soon turned to a frown as he picked up his bag of oranges and headed for the office. "Sorry Helena, but I'm no angel. I'm the farthest thing from one." He said to himself.

As he approached the building and went upstairs, he ran into Dutch, who was just about to head out. "Hey there Dutch. You going out?"

"Yeah, I'll be gone for a while." Replied the captain as he reached into Jackie's bag and took an orange.

"Alright, see you later then. Watch your back." Replied Jackie. After a bit more walking, Jackie entered the office where the Lagoon Company is headquarted. Inside, Jackie saw Revy just lying on the couch reading a magazine casually. "Hey Revy." He greeted the plum haired gunslinger, who just shrugged at his greeting. Jackie took a seat at an adjacent chair and set his bag down on the table. "So where is Dutch going anyway?" Jackie inquired.

"Who knows?" Revy replied. "It doesn't matter what Dutch does when he's off."

"I was just curious is all." Jackie said as he tossed her an orange from the bag and grabbed one for himself.

"Curious types to last too long around here Estacado." She retorted as she peeled away the skin of the orange and started eating it. "Just remember, international criminals come here to lock horns with each other. They'll all try to scam one another, from top to bottom. You won't stand a chance in this place if you believe everything you see. Then again, you're lucky if that's the biggest problem you got." She advised Jackie as she went back to her magazine.

Jackie smiled at the gunslingers advice. 'I'll be sure to keep that in mind." He said. Jackie then took out his dual 9mm pistols and started cleaning them to kill some time. After a few hours Dutch finally saying they got a job. So the Lagoon Company loaded up the car and headed off to the harbor to board their boat.

"So what's up boss?" Asked Benny.

"We got a job from Donnie Yen." Replied the captain.

"Donnie Yen?" Asked Jackie

"Yeah, he gives us jobs from time to time. The job is we're top receive a package from the Vietnamese military at Phu Quoc Island." Dutch replied to Jackie's inquiry as he pulled out a cigarette and lit it with the cars cigarette lighter. "So since our schedule was open...they say labor is to be respected.

Revy just groaned at the job description. "What are we gonna do with all these lame jobs Dutch?" She asked as she put her left hand to Jackie's head and started shoving it. "Seriously, how he we supposed to make bank." Jackie then smacked her hand away and looked at her with an annoyed look.

"Revy, you really need to quit complaining. A job is a job, we gotta take whatever we can get." Replied the former mob associate.

"Estacado, we're wasting our fucking time with these shit jobs. They're barley worth any of the effort."

"So you would rather be sitting on your ass back at the office, missing out on a potential payday? Didn't really think you were the kind of lay to skip out on an easy payday." Jackie retorted.

"Fuck you, Estacado!" Revy replied as she flipped him the bird. "And by the way, what did you do with that Hawaiian shirt I got you at the market?"

"You mean that ugly ass one? I just thought you bought that as some kind of punishment or something." Jackie answered, which caused Revy to gain an irritated expression.

"What, are you saying I got no taste Estacado?!"

"Maybe I am." Jackie said facetiously, gaining a tick mark from Revy.

"Why you little-" With that, both gunslingers started wrestling each other in the back seat, causing Benny to try and stop it, with no success as the two kept going at it. Driving past some buildings, the crew didn't notice a few men watching them drive by. One of them pulled out a phone and called someone.

Somehow, the crew managed to get to the boat, which Jackie soon learned was called the Lagoon, and were headed for open water. They were on their way to the destination to pick up the package. Dutch was at the helm while Benny was at his station, multiple computers right in front of him. Meanwhile, Jackie and Revy were up on the upper deck, Revy teaching Jackie how to tie specific knots, which Jackie was excelling at, surprising Revy. "Wow, you actually know how to tie a knot. Color me impressed Estacado."

"Yeah well, it really helped to know a guy who was in the Navy at one point. Taught me all manner of tying knots. Came in real handy when I needed to tie someone up before they got a beatdown." Jackie replied.

Revy just snorted at the response. After a moment or two of silence, she decided to ask Jackie something. "Hey Estacado."

"What's up Revy?"

"I was just wondering, what's it like when you use The Darkness? Like what goes through your mind when you unleash that thing?"

Jackie looked at Revy in silence for a moment before he answered. "Let's see, how can I put this? Once the Darkness gets a hold of you Revy, you start to lose control. You start to wonder what the fuck you're doing. Time slips away from you. And then, all of a sudden, it's like you're sitting in a theater, watching a movie of your own life. And you're up there on the big screen, big as life. You're a fucking movie star. And you're killing all the bad guys, tearing them apart limb from limb. And you feel good, you look good. Fuck, you are good!" Jackie explained, Revy looking like she was enjoying the explanation.

That was when Jackie's expression turned into a serious one. "And then, you realize something. Everyone else in the theater, they're screaming, cuz they're watching a horror movie. And you're not the hero...you're the monster." Jackie finished.

Revy was ultimately surprised at how Jackie phrased that. "God damn, I never would have thought about it like that."

Their conversation was soon interrupted when Benny's voice echoed in their ear pieces. 'Guys, we got several ships approaching.' Sure enough, the two gunslingers heard the sounds of boats right behind them.

"This makes no sense." Dutch said. "This area is known as Pirates Bay, there shouldn't be any merchant ships around here. Can you find out who they are?"

"They're small and fast." Replied Benny as he pushed some buttons. "Could be cops looking to arrest some pirates." Benny then looked at his computer monitor wide eyed. "Dutch, I got a red alert!"

Dutch was surprised to hear that. "What the hell is this? They skipped yellow and went right to red?!"

"Their speed is about 28-knots." Replied Benny. With that, Dutch sped up the ship to try and out run them.

On the deck, Revy and Jackie steadied themselves so as not to fall overboard. Revy then put a hand to her earpiece. "Hey Dutch-"

"Hold on." The captain interrupted. "Benny Boy will explain the situation to you two."

Benny continued to look at the monitor when it suddenly made another notification sound. "Hold on, just saw three more boats! There's a total of six boats now!" Benny shouted. "The first three started accelerating from the other side of the island we just passed. The other three on our port side came from behind a different island. Changing course port side is dangerous. The ships on that side will catch us, but it's the same problem with starboard" He finished. Jackie took position up on the crow's nest and took out some binoculars. Sure enough, he saw six boats right on their tail and closing fast.

"A basic hunting pattern." Surmised Dutch.

"These guys are hauling ass too." Shouted Benny.

Dutch then heard Revy's voice on the radio. "Hey Dutch."

"Yeah?"

"I smell it." She said cryptically.

"So, who are they?"

Revy then grinned. "I know that stench even from this distance. These guys are definitely not marine cops, that's for sure. There's no doubt in my mind, they stink too much of blood and smoke for that." She replied, a wicked grin still present on her face. Jackie heard what the gunslinger said and had to agree with her, it was a smell he too was all too familiar with. With what he was seeing though the binoculars, he had no doubt that these guys were trouble.

Jackie then pressed his earpiece to speak to Dutch. "Dutch, looks like we're being targeted by pirates. What's the background on the guy who hired us?"

Dutch just shrugged casually at the former hitman's question. "Jackie, that observation really hurts. I've been conducting background checks on Donnie Yen's econonmic situation from the beginning." He replied just as a new voice came on the radio.

"Hello, hello, can you hear me Lagoon?" Asked the voice. "That's right, it's me! Ducth, it's been awhile."

The ship captain didn't seemed too surprised at who it was. "Now I see, it's Luak." He replied before he took the radio to speak into it. "Sorry, but there's no prey here. You should go home before you get lost."

The man, now known as Luak just snickered at Dutch's response. "There's prey right here Dutch. A ratty old torpedo boat." Luak said back.

The boats got closer and closer to the Lagoon. "Six vessels in pursuit. If it is Luak, he's brought everything he's got." Benny said still looking at the monitors.

Dutch just sighed in aggravation at the situation. "Damn all these stupid bastards." He muttered. "Chin got you involved in this, didn't he Luak? God must really pity you for your stupidity."

Luck just chuckled arrogantly at Dutch's quip. "Heh, once we get an ounce of lead in you, it'll put an end to all that pillow talk of yours." Luak said as the .50 caliber mounted machine guns took aim at both sides of the Lagoon. Jackie saw this and knew shit was about to go down.

"Damn it!" Jackie cursed. "Dutch, we're surrounded on both sides. In this position-"

"I see it Jackie." Dutch interrupted. "You and Revy better hold on tight." Dutch responded. Not needing to be told twice, Jackie held onto the railing of the crow's nest. As the boats readied their machine guns to fire, Dutch held onto the accelerator, a plan already formulating in his head. Without hesitation, the boats opened fire. Dutch then decelerated the ship and pretty soon, the boats were firing on each other, badly damaging the boat on the starboard side. Jackie was impressed at the tactic Dutch employed.

"God, damn, Dutch! Nice going." He complimented.

"Nothing to it Jackie." Dutch responded as he increased the Lagoon's speed. "If your gonna flank the enemy, it's only common sense to stagger your positions to avoid friendly fire. Amateurs!"

The remainder of Luak's boats passed the damaged boat and continued their pursuit of the Lagoon. Luak saw what transpired and he was not a happy camper. He grabbed his radio and contacted Dutch once again. "Don't get too confident, I'll send you straight to Hell!" He threatened.

"Still four more vessels remaining. Dutch, they're coming." Benny reported.

"Alright Revy, it's your turn. Give them a taste of Two-Hands."

"Leave it to me." Revy responded, now equipped with an M79 grenade launcher in her left hand, a submachine gun strapped over her right shoulder, and a bandoleer of grenades draped around her neck. All the while, a wicked, sadistic smile graced her face.

"It's showtime, think you can make them dance?" Asked Dutch.

"You know I can." Revy responded.

"Woah, slow your rolls there Revy, are you really planning on taking these guys on by yourself?" Jackie called to her. Revy just looked at the former hitman with a look of confidence.

"Listen Jackie, there's not much you can do here with the sun being out. Besides, we all got a taste of what you can do. Now, it's time you see what I can do." Revy answered as she put on a pair of headphones and turned on the walkman on her waist, metal music now playing in her ears as she walked to the port side of the Lagoon.

"Benny boy, we got two closing port side and another two starboard to stern, is that about right?" Dutch asked the computer whiz as he looked back at him.

"Add one more, directly behind us." Benny confirmed.

" Do that one last Revy."

"Alright, I'll start with this shit on the left." Revy responded as she aimed the grenade launcher at the closest port side boat. She then fired a grenade at it, heavily damaging it. She then spun on her heel and ran towards the starboard boat. "Let's dance the jitterbug, baby!" She shouted as she jumped off the Lagoon and towards the enemy boat. Jackie was beyond shocked at what he just saw Revy pull off.

"WHAT THE FU-"

The occupants on the enemy boat were surprised to see the gunslinger jumping towards their boat. As she landed, she grabbed her SMG and fired it at the enemies in front while she shot her grenade launcher to her right side without looking, killing everyone onboard and disabling the boat.

The occupants on the boat behind her saw the action and readied themselves for Revy's assault. The only problem was the boat in front was smoking from the grenade it took. "She's on the next boat." One of the pirates stated.

"Do something about that bitch!" Another said.

"Damn, I can't see with all the smoke."

Just then, gunfire erupted from the vessel ahead, surprising them. "Damn it!" Without hesitation, they immediately began open firing, hoping to hit Revy. Revy wasn't at all deterred. Instead, she collected herself and jumped to the boat behind her.

"Kill that bitch! Finish her off." One of the pirates said. Revy planted her foot into his face and used him as a springboard to land on the boat, surprising all on board. Revy then kicked another pirate in the face, knocking him out. Another pirate opened fire. Revy crouched low to avoid their fire and opened up on the men in front and her left sides with her SMG, killing all onboard.

"Jackie, what boat is she on?" Inquired the captain.

Jackie took up his binoculars again to see Revy's progress. "She's working on her fifth one right now." He answered. "Hold on, looks like the third is somehow still alive and closing fast."

The remaining enemy boat pulled up alongside Revy as she was shooting any survivors onboard. "There she is right there!" Shouted one pirate.

"Shoot her!"

"Kill her."

As they were about to shoot her, Revy suddenly spun around and aimed her grenade launcher at the remaining boat and fired, destroying it completely and killing the crew. Her job now done, the Lagoon pulled alongside Revy to allow her back onboard. If Luak was angry then, he was spitting fire at the carnage before him. His entire fleet was destroyed at the hands of the one and only Two-Hands.

"Dammit, my Fleet! She took out all my boats." Luak said as the Lagoon turned around to face him now. Revy now standing at the very front of the boat.

"You just hit a dead end. Seems like you were the one destined to dance the cha cha with some hot lead Luak." Dutch said on the radio with a grin on his face.

"Dammit! How dare you!" Luak shouted as he shoved the one driving the boat and took the wheel. He then turned his own boat around in an attempt to retreat. "That bitch isn't even human! Chin can kiss my ass, I'm not dealing with these demons anymore!" While all this was going on, Revy reloaded her grenade launcher and spun it in her hand before taking aim. She then fired and the grenade exploded as it made contact with the boat, sending it and Luak along with his remaining crew to the bottom of the sea.

Jackie just stared in awe at what he just witnessed. One woman managed to destroy an entire fleet of boats without breaking a sweat. He stared at Revy in absolute awe at what she could do as she blew the smoke from the grenade launcher. This woman was definitely someone who could match Jackie in terms of skills with a gun. "Holy fuck, she took them all out single handedly." He continued to stare at her and he felt something in his chest. "I...I think I'm in love right now." He said to himself.

Revy turned around to look at Jackie to see him looking like he was in his own little world. "What'd you say Estacado?"

Jackie came back to reality and looked at Revy normally. "Wha...n-nothing. That was...that was fucking impressive Revy."

Revy just grinned at the compliment. "Now you know why they call me Two-Hands." She bragged.

The Darkness got a good view of the show and was impressed at what Revy could do. **"SHE IS A DEALER OF DEATH, JACKIE. YOU MUST MAKE HER YOURS."** The entity demanded. Revy was indeed a powerful woman and would definitely spawn a strong future host for The Darkness. Jackie again ignored the voice as he continued to stare at Revy, all the while wondering why he had that strange feeling before.

With the ambush crushed and realizing the job was a hoax, the Lagoon company headed back to Roanapur. As they got off the boat and into the car to go back to the office, Jackie received a message on his pager from Balalaika. **"HAVE A JOB FOR YOU. MEET ME AT MY OFFICE."** The message read. After telling Benny to drop him off at Balalaika's office and saying he would meet up with them later. Jackie went inside and was greeted by one of Balalaika's men who escorted him to her office.

"Ah, Mr. Estacado, good to see you again." She greeted the host warmly.

"Good to see you too Miss Balalaika." He greeted back. "So, what's this job you got for me?" Balalaika just grinned at the host as she prepared to give him the details.

Later that evening, a lone man, Mr. Chin, was in a hotel room, panicking at the situation he was in right now. He was packing everything he could fit into his suitcase; money, jewels, clothes, whatever. He royally screwed himself trying to kill the Lagoon company and now he was gonna try and get as far out of Roanapur as physically possible.

"Dammit! Luak, you useless bastard, you screwed me!" He shouted in anger as he continued to stuff his suitcase. "That idiot! What kind of mother raises such a useless piece of shit?! He puts my balls in a vice and then, oh how convenient, he goes and dies! This is a fucking disaster." He continued to rant loudly as he forcefully pushed down the lid of his suitcase. Unknown to him, Jackie was walking down the hall towards Chin's room. Stopping at the door, he grinned wickedly as his leg was coated in darkness. When it dissipated, his leg was encased in a portion of Darkness armor and raised it, ready to destroy the door. "If I got the chance to kill him all over again." He picked up the suitcase and was about to go to the do when suddenly-

SMAAAASH

The door was suddenly destroyed, sending pieces of it and splinters flying everywhere. Mr. chin dropped the suitcase and was sent flying across the room, slamming into a wall. He took a moment to regain his bearings and looked to see what was the cause of the disturbance. He looked to see Jackie standing over him with a gun, a bag slung over his shoulders and the same grin he had when he destroyed the door. "Hey there Mr. Chin, you and I need to have a talk." The former hitman said as he set the bag down.

Chin was now scared shitless at the sight before him. "W-w-who are you?"

"Heard it was you who put a hit on me and my friends. Gotta tell you pal, big fucking mistake not doing your homework on us." Jackie said as he began closing the curtains in the room. "Not to mention Miss Balalaika is pretty pissed off at you too."

"B-B-B-Balalaika sent you?"

Jackie just shook his head. "Yep, you trying to kill us was the biggest fuck up you ever made ."

Chin continued to look at Jackie in terror. He never would have guessed that someone like Jackie worked with the Lagoon Company. Now this man was here no doubt looking for revenge for trying to kill his friends. But then he remembered that Balalaika sent him. He thought maybe he can buy his way out. "L-listen, what's Balalaika paying you? I'll double it." He offered Jackie, who ignored him as he continued to darken the room. Not seeing him budge, Chin tried again. "Triple it!"

"This isn't a question of money Chin." Jackie responded as he now stood before him. "Besides, to kill the little fuck who tried to kill me and my friends is to good an opportunity to pass up." Jackie finished as his eyes began to glow yellow.

If Chin was scared of Jackie then, he was now shitting bricks. He didn't know what Jackie was gonna do to him, but he was sure it wasn't going to be painless. He held his hands up to try and stop Jackie from doing what he was going to do. "W-w-w-wait, hold man, you don't need to do this." He said in fright.

" **YEEEESSSS, JACKIE. FEED ME THIS WORM'S HEART."** The Darkness demanded. Jackie just grinned wickedly, already ahead of it.

"Yeah...I really do." Jackie responded. Suddenly, Jackie unleashed The Darkness, the two serpents revealing themselves and positioning themselves over Jackie's shoulders. Both of them hissed at the now terrified gangster.

"Jesus...fucking...Christ! What are you, the devil?" Chin asked terrified.

Jackie continued to grin evilly at Chin and shook his head in response. "The devil? No, no, no...I'm something worse." He answered as the serpent on the rights side suddenly wrapped around Chin and hoisted him in the air. Chin screamed in terror as the serpent continued to wrap around him. Stopping at his chest just above the heart, the serpent then stabbed itself though Chin's chest and exited out his back with Chin's heart in it's mouth, silencing the cowardly gangster forever. The serpent then unwrapped itself and Chin fell to the ground with a thud.

Jackie smiled at his handiwork as he dissipated The Darkness and went to the suitcase Chin was trying to take with him. Opening it, he found multiple stacks of cash and jewelry. He then took the bag he brought with him and started stuffing it with Chin's loot. With everything taken care of, Jackie exited the hotel with about twenty grand in cash and a few grand more in jewels. He stopped at a payphone and dialed the number of the Lagoon Company's office. After a few rings, Dutch answered the other end.

"Hello?"

"Hey there Dutch." Greeted Jackie casually leaning on the booth.

"Jackie, done with your job for Balalaika I presume?"

"Yeah, turns out the job was to take care of the shit bird who hired Luak to kill us."

"She had you kill Chin huh? I take it you made him suffer?"

"Suffice it to say he knew what it was like to be afraid before he died."

"Hm, only you Jackie."

"Hey listen, Chin had some cash and valuables on him before he died. Balalaika said I could help myself to his stash as compensation for the trouble that little shit stain caused. Figured this might bright up your day after the one we had."

Dutch chuckled at what Jackie said. "You're right Jackie, that did brighten up my day."

"I'll give everyone their cut when I get back. Got about 25 grand out of this. Not really that much but at least it's something. Also, Balalaika said she would call us for a job soon so fingers crossed it's real soon."

"Sounds good to me Jackie. See you when you get here. Watch your back out there."

"Always do. See you guys soon." Jackie then hung up the phone. He figured Dutch would be happy and hopefully this would brighten Revy's day too, hopefully. Before he called a cab, he looked towards a certain building in the hills outside of the town. It was the orphanage that Helena Pearce works at. Helena reminded Jackie a lot of Jenny when he first met her. The way she smiled, the kind air about her. Meeting Helena certainly brightened Jackie's morning. He gave it some thought to visit her sometime in the future, maybe try and get to know her a little more. But then he wondered what someone as pure and innocent as Helena would think of him if she found out about the things he's done and what kind of evil he houses. Jackie shook his head and came back to reality. He finally hailed himself a cab and proceeded back to the office.

 **And done with the next chapter. Jackie may not have been able to cause Luak and his crew hell with the sun out but now he got a first hand look at Revy's skills. Sorry if Jackie didn't take part in the carnage, what with the time of day it happened, but I thought you might like that he killed Luak for the shit he caused him and the Lagoon company. I just hope everything fits and is not too confusing. Let me know in the comments if there is a way to fix it. Anyway, the next chapters will be the Lagoon Company vs Neo Nazis. These racist, bigoted assholes are gonna be in for a hell of a show when they come face to face with Jackie and the Darkness. Next time, part one of the Neo Nazi arc on The Darkness in the City of The Dead, Chapter 4. The U-boat. See you all next time.**


	5. Chapter 4

**Hey everyone, TravyMcNavy184 here with another chapter of The Darkness in the City of The Dead. This chapter, Jackie and the Lagoon get a job that takes them to the depths of the sea to find a relic from the past. But they're not the only ones after it. Problem is, the other guys don't know who they will be going up against. So without further ado, here is the next chapter. Read, review, and enjoy. As always, I own nothing but the ocs.**

Chapter 4

The U-Boat

 _Naval Base at Kiel, Germany. 1945_

The year is 1945, the Allies victory over Nazi Germany was imminent. In the port town Kiel, the city was ravaged by war. The sky was gray, bodies littered the streets and buildings were set ablaze from the war going on in the streets. Leaving the port of the town was a single German U-Boat. On the deck of the fleeing submarine, the captain and a few of his subordinates looked on with saddened faces to see their homeland being ravaged. They knew the war was coming to an end and the Allies were close to securing victory, but to have to flee from their home was heartbreaking for them. Up on the deck with them was one of their passengers; a man in a Japanese Imperial Army uniform.

"So this is farewell Germany." Said the Japanese officer. "It's a shame that the last glimpse I'm going to get of the German Sky is of it's usual leaden color."

"Yes, but thanks to that, the Allies' patrol over us has thinned." Replied the captain. "Once we get past the Shetlands and out of the North Sea, in no time we'll be under Spain's blue sky and then onto Africa's beaches. You'll soon be longing for some clouds Lieutenant Colonel Matsuto." He finished as he brought his binoculars up to his eyes.

The Japanese officer, now known as Matsuto, just chuckled at the captain's words. "Right. As a man who came here to study aeronautics, I can hardly afford to be killed by a plane at this point."

"Not after coming all the way to Germany" The captain replied, causing Matsuto to laugh heartily.

"It seems that we'll get along just fine on this journey." Matsuto said as he looked to his left. "But I wish I could say the same about the other passenger as well. I just don't understand them. The SS and the SD's. Those men, they are a different breed."

The passenger in question was wearing a different uniform from the men on the U-Boat while holding a briefcase and looking at the German town slowing shrinking away in the distance with a disheartened expression. The man was wearing the uniform of a Nazi Waffen SS Officer and from the markings on it, he was indeed a higher up. The captain of the submarine felt very uncomfortable having someone like him on board his ship. The regular German Army and the SS never saw eye to eye on a lot of things. In fact, they were practically rivals who hated each other.

 _Present_

As the sun was beginning to set in the South China Sea, the Lagoon was about to enter the port to Roanapur. The Lagoon Company was just returning from a job and were about to head back to grab something to drink and turn in for the day. Up on the top of the boat, Revy was just leaning against a railing while casually playing a harmonica. In the captain's helm, Jackie and Dutch were enjoying the view while approaching port. "Man, the sea looks so calm today, it's almost enough to steer away the fact that just ahead is a haven for scum of all types." Jackie said to Dutch with a smile on his face.

"The waters around here can look like something from an acid trip. Dive on in and it's pretty much a sensory overload." Replied Dutch.

"I bet. Although truth be told I never once been scuba diving before."

This surprised Dutch. "Really?! Never found any time to do it to get away from whacking so many people Jackie boy?" Dutch asked with a chuckle.

"Honestly Dutch, the closest thing I've been to scuba diving was rescuing a friend of mine who was stuffed in the trunk of a Cadi at the bottom of the Hudson."

"The Hudson, eww. You'll never catch me swimming around in that shit." Replied Dutch.

"No kidding, the shit swimming around in it is enough to make even me gag. Took me forever to get the river stink off my clothes. Besides, I think if the good lord wanted us to go into the water, he would have given us gills and fins." Jackie retorted as he took a swig from the beer in his hand. "Besides, drinking a cold beer while feeling the sea breeze on my face is more than enough for me?"

The next day, the sun was out and everyone in Roanapur were going about their business. Down at the docks, Jackie was lugging some boxes and taking them to Dutch. Jackie stopped for a moment to rest and wipe the sweat from his face. "God damn. I'm starting to think maybe I should have taken Jimmy's offer. At least then I wouldn't have to deal with this fucking heat and breaking my fucking back. Seriously, one problem with the car and everything just turns to shit." He complained. He regained his bearings and started walking again when something on the boat next to him caught his eye. Jackie looked to see it was some scuba equipment.

Jackie put the boxes down and knelt down to get a better look. He then looked at the man on the boat. "Hey there Mr. Lun." He greeted the man, who looked at him and groaned. "That new right there?" He asked pointing to the scuba gear. Mr. Lun nodded at the former hitman's question. "Hmm, how much you want for it?"

Mr. Lun groaned and replied by displaying five fingers. Jackie was shocked at the price. "Th-that much?! Come on, I bet it's stolen." Mr. Lun then gestured four fingers and then to five, showing that he lowered the price. Jackie got back up and picked the boxes back up and said "Sorry Mr. Lun, tempting but I don't think we need anything like that right now. Maybe next time." Jackie replied as he continued his way down the dock to his destination. Mr. Lun just grunted as Jackie bid his farewell and went along his way.

 _Near the Cape Verde Islands, Africa 1945_

The German U boat, currently topside, was sailing through the waters near the African Coast to it's destination. Up on the deck, crew members were doing anything they could to pass the time. Some were just lounging around, reading letters from home, sleeping, some were even positioned as lookouts, keeping an eye out for any enemy ships. Inside the U boat, Matsuto was playing a game of Shogi with one of the sailors while the captain wandered around the U boat to see what his men were doing. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the day, except for one passenger. The SS officer just looked around his cabin in scorn, he looked like he didn't want to be in the same place as the Regular German Army, but he was on a mission and he would have to suck it up an sere it through.

 _The Indian Ocean_

Up on the deck, a couple of spotters along with the captian saw what appeared to be an enemy ship in the distance. "They moving with us with a bearing of 270." Said one of the spotters. "It's a freighter out of South Africa heading to Ceylon."

"Captain." The SS officer addressed the man who captained the ship.

"We are in battle positions right now. Please get inside." The captain replied to the SS officer.

"I am sorry for the intrusion, but I have something to ask, if I may." The officer replied back. "Do you really plan to ignore the orders you were given and attack the freighter?"

"What are you orders, Captain?" Asked one of the spotters.

"I will get you to Batavia without fail Lieutenant Colonel." The Captain responded "Fritz."

"Yes sir?" Said the spotter, now known as Fritz.

"Are you incapable of even greeting the enemy without confirmation? And yet you consider yourself this ship's.." He said with a smirk as he took his eyes off the freighter until Fritz interrupted.

"Very good, sir. I'll have them hurry up and load the torpedo that is under maintenance." Fritz replied to his commanding officer as he got up to go to the torpedo launching bay.

The Captain went back to looking at the freighter. "You too, Lieutenant Colonel, please get inside."

The SS officer did not obey as he continued to talk the captain to reconsider attacking. "An attack would be an unnecessary risk." He warned.

The captain finally looked at the officer with a frown. "That transport belongs to our sworn enemy, England. What is being carried is fuel to be used for an invasion of our allies that we'll soon be visiting. And now you are telling me to ignore the enemy? Are you saying there was no point in us fighting this war? That all those soldiers died for nothing?" He asked the officer, anger clearly etched in his voice.

The SS officer remained calm and stoic in front of the U boat captain. "I am saying that at this stage, sinking that ship will have absolutely no effect on our fatherland."

"Oh really?"

"What is it?" The SS officer asked with an eyebrow raised.

"There is no point? We are just fighting a losing battle here? We can't stop the inevitable?"

"Are you trying to provoke into saying more?"

"No, I just didn't expect to hear something like that from you." The captain replied. "I suppose I thought you were worried about something more insignificant. Forgive me. Despite that, there are still fights you must take on."

The captain straightened himself up and straightened his hat. "Let's go men. Prepare the torpedoes for surface attack!" He ordered the men who were still topside. "We will credit this ship with it's 31st hit."

Down below, a sailor was loading a torpedo into the launcher to fire at the enemy transport. "The launcher is ready." Called out the sailor who loaded the torpedo.

"All right, let's go! We will keep fighting to the bitter end." The captain commanded as the U boat and it's crew readied for a naval battle.

 _Present_

Meanwhile, back at the Lagoon office, Jackie was just lounging around while cleaning his pistols for the next eventual firefight. While he was cleaning, he heard the bell, signifying someone entering the office. "Aren't you going for a drink Jackie boy?" Asked Dutch.

"Yeah I will in a bit as I'm done cleaning my guns." Jackie replied to his employer.

Dutch just chuckled at his reply. "You know Jackie, if I didn't know any better, I say you were OCD or something." Dutch said as he put what he was carrying on the floor.

"Nothing wrong with having clean and maintained equipment Dutch. I can't always rely on The Darkness forever, you know." Jackie said as he turned to Dutch.

"Hmm, I suppose you got a point Jackie." At this point Jackie saw what Dutch was carrying, which was revealed to be the scuba equipment Jackie was looking at earlier today.

"Dutch, what's all that?"

"I dunno. Do I look like an off-season Santa Claus to you?" Dutch asked facetiously. "Earlier today, you were looking at this in a shop, weren't you?"

"Who said I was looking at them?" Jackie asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Look Jackie, if you want something, all you gotta do is tell me." Dutch said with a smile.

Jackie just looked at him confused. "Wait, you mean that stuff is for me?" Jackie asked Dutch, who then grinned widely. Jackie could already tell he was not going to like what Dutch had to say next.

 _Near the Nicobar Islands, Indonesia. March 25, 1945_

The U boat submerged into the water away from the eyes of the enemy transport. The submarine was getting into position to fire a torpedo at the unsuspecting freighter. The only thing stopping it was it's captain waiting to give the order to fire away.

One sailor was working some machines with headphones on his head, listening for the vessel. "The enemy ship just passed over us." He said.

"Set course to two-zero-zero. We need to get behind the enemy." Commanded the captain.

Another sailor was at the desk with a map, triangle and protractor, writing down the best course on the map to get a better jump on the enemy. "If we turn twice, we'll be able to achieve that sir. The second turn will be in four minutes." He surmised.

The captain nodded his head at his subordinate. "Very good. We'll go with that."

"Hold on, we're detecting sound from another vessel in front of us." Said the man listening for the enemy. "Wait! There's another signal."

The captain didn't like the sound of that. "It looks like the enemy is coming out in numbers." He deduced. "Batavia is right there in front of us and we're being cornered."

"Not yet, gentlemen. I want both engines to full power. Set us to one-seven-zero." The captain commanded."

"One-seven-zero." Shouted a sailor.

"Fire the Zigarren directly astern."

"Firing Ziggaren." On queue, the submarine fired a torpedo at the intended coordinates.

Back in the sub, everyone was expecting something to happen. They waited and waited until another sailor broke the silence. "Sir, one of the enemy ships is moving away."

"Then in must have worked, they took the bait. Now cut the engine, it's silent running from now on."

The captain however was wrong, an enemy vessel stayed behind and was now right on top of them. The crew could hear the ship above them. Everyone was scared now, they were wondering if they have been discovered and the enemy was going to retaliate. Suddenly, a noise was heard and it was the last thing anyone wanted to hear.

"Sir, they are using their active sonar."

Fearing for the worst, the captain gave his orders to his troops. "FULL POWER! TWENTY TO PORT! DIVE TO A DEPTH OF FORTY."

Suddenly, the submarine started to shake violently as an explosion was rocking the vessel. The enemy ship was dropping depth charges on the submarine. After a few good hits with the charges, the submarine was damaged greatly and now heading for the bottom of the sea. It finally came to a violent stop on the sea floor. The front of the vessel was now filling with water from all the damage it had sustained, alarms were blaring all throughout the ship.

"This is the forward torpedo room! We're taking on water. Close the fore hatch! You can still try to save yourselves."

Meanwhile, back in the main deck, everyone, including the captain were trying to do everything to remain calm in the situation they were in. "Captain, we've stopped taking on water, but we can't vent the ballast tank." One sailor reported. "Engines and emergency generator are damaged beyond repair."

The captain looked to his subordinates and saw they all had worried looks on their faces. The captain then let out a sigh as he knew the end was near. He then put a hand to his subordinate's shoulder. "It is unfortunate we couldn't return our Japanese passenger to his homeland." He said.

His subordinate then looked to the captain with a saddened expression. "Lieutenant Colonel Matsuto has already..."

"The way of the samurai." The captain finished as he already knew what his subordinate was going to say. " I did not realize he brought a sword with him for that reason." He finished as he made his way through the deck until he stopped in the middle of the room. His subordinates all standing and facing him waiting for their next order.

"You've served as brave and loyal sailors of the German Navy. As a crew, we faced rough waters and overcome great opposition in the Atlantic, but sadly, none of us will leave this battle behind for the beaches of Batavia." He said to his troops with a saddened tone as some of them began to cry, shiver and quake in fear of their impending doom. "Our ship has currently run aground at a depth of 57 meters. Both of our engines and ballasts are beyond repair. You have all endured numerous battles and shown great courage. As of now, I am relieving you all of your military duties. We are going to run out of air in a bout two hours. So in these final moments, it is your choice how you wish to die." He finished and left his men to attend to another matter.

The captain soon found himself in the cabin of the SS officer, who was now holding what appeared to be a painting for dear life. "Lieutenant Colonel, I need to speak to you." He addressed the officer, who looked like he was about to lose his shit at any given time.

"Captain, I haven't heard the engine running for some time now. When are we going to surface?" He asked, fear clearly present in his voice.

"As it turns out, we won't be surfacing. Ever again." The captain replied, causing the officer to gulp. "I am truly sorry."

The SS officer just looked at the captain in contempt. "You are worthless."

"I agree."

"You don't get it. You just don't understand, do you?"

"Understand what?" Asked the captain with a raised eyebrow.

"The importance of your mission!" The officer exclaimed, still clutching tightly onto the painting. "Do you have any idea of the significance of this painting I am transporting?"

The painting consisted what looked to be twelve soldiers praising a Valkyrie with a mountain in the background and a blue sky. The captain just looked at the painting and didn't really see anything special about it. "I see, so the package was this painting. It doesn't look like anything of great significance to me. What is it's title?"

"It's called 'The Twelve Knights led by Brunhilda.'" The officer answered. "Listen to me carefully! What I have in my hands right now is the only tableau painted since the Fuhrer took power. 'Steadfast in our honor and loyalty, we shall keep this hidden until the promised day. On the day when the Nazi flag flies victorious once again, this will be a beacon for all our comrades who have scattered and a call for reunification!'" The SS officer said as if reciting a prayer.

The captain just looked at him as if he was a madman. "So you have already resigned yourself to the idea that we are going to lose this war. And so you figured you just start preparing for the next one." He said as he pulled out a picture of him and his family, looking at it in fond nostalgia. "You people make me sick."

"Do you have any family?" The captain asked the officer.

"I have a wife and child. They are in Stuttgart. So what?" He replied.

"You know, I can honestly say I am proud that I have fought to the very end for my country. I have no regrets, even as I am destined to rot here. However, if there is one dissatisfaction I do have...it is the fact that I must share a casket with some fucking bastard like you, one who isn't even thinking about his family in his dying moments."

The SS officer gritted his teeth in anger at what the captain just said to him. A proud SS officer like him being told such a thing by someone lower in rank than himself is something he would not stand for in the slightest. "Take back that statement, Captain." He ordered. "You cannot compare family to the righteousness of our country."

The captain just blew smoke from his pipe as he shrugged off the comment. "It's pointless. You can deny it all you want, but Hitler's empire is crashing down around us and there is nothing you can do."

"SHUT UP!"

"Look what's become of my country and my navy as a result of putting up your delusions for all these years."

"SHUT UP!"

"I'd even say it was worth sinking, if it meant my children could grow up without ever having to see that accursed Nazi flag again."

Having heard enough, the officer drew his pistol and aimed it at the captain's head. "SHUT UP! TAKE THAT BACK!" He ordered, but the captain was unfazed by the gun pointed at him.

"It could very well be the will of God that our boat sank here today."

BANG BANG

Having had enough, the officer opened fire on the captain.

 _Present_

It was a clear day on the South China Sea as the Lagoon made it's way to the destination of the next job the Lagoon company had been assigned. Everyone was ready and waiting to get to work. Revy and Jackie were in the crew quarters going over their scuba gear for the salvage job, well Jackie was anyway. Revy was lying in a cot with her eyes closed and her hands behind her head. Jackie looked at her annoyed, she could at least help with the gear instead of just lying around. Once the vessel made it to it''s destination, it came to a stop, which the two gunslingers noticed. A moment later, Benny came into their quarters.

"Alright guys, we're here. Dutch wants everyone in the helm ASAP." The blonde mechanic said as he headed for the helm himself. Without skipping a beat, Jackie and Revy headed their too.

Right now, the crew were gathered around a table with maps and charts littering it as well as a laptop. "Alright, I briefly explained back at the office, but we'll go over the details of the job before we go in." Dutch said before he addressed Benny. "Benny, if you will."

"Sure thing Dutch." Benny clicked on the mouse to start up the presentation on the laptop. "First, take a look at this." On the screen was a picture of an old Nazi U-boat. "An old story from half a century ago, the nostalgic talk of some old timer." Benny began as he continued clicking n the mouse, more pictures of the u-boat coming on the screen. "This here is an IXC-type attack submarine, U-1324 of the German Navy. It was a submarine in the Wolf Pack that tore up the Atlantic." Soon the picture of the captain of the vessel came on the screen. "This here was it's captain, Major Ventzel H. Ahbe. The last order he ever received from his falling homeland was to take an officer of the Japanese Navy to Batavia." All eyes were glued to the screen as Benny explained the story.

"Buuuut, things weren't that simple for them." He then pulled up a map that plotted out the submarine's course. "They had to go from Kiel in Europe, Around Cape Agulhas, and then through the Indian Ocean. It was a voyage worthy of Magellan, and Ahbe managed to pull it off." From the course the sub had to take, it truly would have been a voyage worthy for an explorer like Magellan.

"However, before he was in plain view of his destination, his ship, all his crew, and the passenger on board, suddenly ran out of luck. While searching for the Japanese, the U.S. Navy came across this U-boat. So having nothing else to do, all of them decided to strike at once. The poor U-1324 finally went down, so the captain and 44 of his crew just disappeared and into the depths of the ocean. That's sort of the history with a capital H as we know it, but there's another untold story in all this. The story of an SS officer who appeared at Kiel Port the night before departure and was able to force his way on board with papers from the Secret Police."

"Now check this out." Benny clicked on the mouse again and this time a painting came onto the screen. A painting with 12 knights looking to a Valkyrie in the sky. "This here is the painting that SS officer held onto for dear life. The artist is August Janke, an unknown painter. It is entitled 'The Twelve Knights Led by Brunhilda'.

Revy and Jackie looked at the painting on the screen. Revy just looked at with a disinterest look. "That thing looks pretty boring to me. I've seen graffiti on New York subways that would put that to shame."

"You know, I knew a street artist back home who was obsessed with Valkyries. I bet if he saw this, he'd be drooling right now." Jackie said with a light chuckle.

"Okay, we're going off topic here." Announced Dutch, quieting the two and diverting their attention back to Benny. "Benny, please continue."

"Right. So, why would an SS officer board a submarine with no gold, no secret documents, and only a single painting?" He asked rhetorically, which made Dutch grin and made Revy and Jackie look at him questioningly. "Now, now, don't give it too much thought. It's just an incredible story with no real explanation for why it happened or where it came from."

"However, the one thing we're sure of right now it that this painting is preserved inside the wreck of the submarine." Added Dutch. "So, we've been hired by an antique collector in Spain. One who's hobby is collecting Nazi artwork."

"That's a pretty fucked up hobby." Said Revy.

Jackie just shook his head. "Honestly, it's been over 60 years since the Nazis lost the war and there are still people who believe in their 'grand vision'. Seriously, it's just fucking stupid."

"You both got that right. Anyway, apparently most of Janke's work was either destroyed or lost in the war. Our client had completely given up on this and the U-boat long ago. But..." Dutch then looked to Benny to continue.

"Yeah, last year a French Telecom company was laying down underwater cables and inadvertently discovered the U-1324. At the same time, they found out there wasn't much water inside."

"Right now, several countries are in dispute over the rightful ownership of these waters, so no one is able to make a move for it easily." Dutch said.

"And let me guess, this is where we come in, right Dutch?" Inquired Jackie.

Dutch grinned at his query. "You got that right Jackie Boy. Not bad for a $50,000 job."

Benny then unrolled a blueprint of the U-boat. "Arlight, here are the steps for the job. The French noticed that the bow into the submarine is completely flooded." Benny explained as he pointed to the bow of the ship on the blueprint, which was marked in red marker. "Revy and Jackie, you two will go in through the torpedo tubes and then close them off. Once you weld the hole shut, you should be able to the door to the interior."

"How about getting out of it?" Asked Revy.

"Just make a hole and swim out." Answered Dutch. "Once we get what we want out of their, who cares what happens to it. Alright, if there are no more questions, let's get this over with."

With that, everyone left the room. Revy and Jackie were getting into their scuba gear. "Hey, can you even use that dark shit of yours in the water Estacado?" She asked while putting on her wetsuit.

"Never have before, but hey first time for everything right?" He answered. He then looked at Revy in her wetsuit and blushed at her appearance. The suit hugged her body tightly and really brought out her chest and curves perfectly. Revy noticed this and grinned wickedly.

"What's up? See something you like?" She asked while doing a pose.

Jackie snapped out of it and came came back to reality and looked away, which made Revy chuckle smugly. He turned and grabbed the air tank and strapped it to his back, Revy doing the same. Once they were done, they went to up top, where Dutch was waiting for them. "One last thing to remember, once you two dive, I'll only be able to track you with the beacon, so try not to use up the batteries." He warned them as he picked up an assault rifle by his side. He went over the Revy and handed it to her. "And also forgot. A little souvenir Balalaika brought back from her homeland." Revy saw it and swiped it from his hands in excitement.

"HOOOH! No way, an underwater rifle?! Does this have full-auto?!" She asked excitedly. Jackie thought she was like a little kid opening a present on Christmas morning and getting the one toy she wanted, which made a small smile appear on his face.

"Of course. Take it as a good luck charm." Dutch answered. He then looked to Jackie. "What about you Jackie? Can you even use the Darkness while your in the water.

"Like I told Revy. I never have before but I guess we'll soon find out enough. And hey if we're lucky, I won't even have to bring out." He answered. The two gunslingers finished prepping for the dive and went towards the edge of the starboard side of the ship.

"Alright, Jackie. We better get going. Just follow my lead." Revy said before equipped her breather and dove into the ocean.

"Look out, trouble. Here we come." Jackie said before following after her. Revy turned on her flashlight to help her see better but with the Darkness, Jackie could see in the darkness of the ocean without his flashlight. They stuck close to each other as they made their way to the destination. They soon activated their beacons, which Benny picked up back on the surface. They showed they were slowly making their way to the sub. After some swimming, they finally made it. Revy and Jackie soon started making their way to the ship.

Back up top, Benny was sitting beneath an umbrella and enjoying a beer when he saw something in the distance off the starboard bow. "Uh, Dutch?"

"What's up Benny Boy?"

"You might wanna come up here for a sec. There's a ship."

"What?"

The captain soon made hi way top side to have a look at this 'ship'. "We're not on a regular sea route. That telecom company is the only one who'd be here."

Benny looked through the binoculars to get a better look at the incoming ship. "Telecom company, I don't think so. I've been listening to their communications ever since we got the offer. They're not supposed to be out here for another three days. And besides that, that's a research vessel. And they seem to be carrying some large equipment on the back."

Dutch eyed at the approaching vessel. "This isn't cool. You better go raise our Thai Navy flag." He said to Benny, who nodded his head at his command.

"I'm on it."

Soon after, a voice came on the radio. 'To the vessel currently idling in our path, this is White Heather. Please respond.'

"Well, well." Benny exclaimed.

Dutch soon grabbed the receiver and pressed the button to talk into it. "This is PT377 of the Thai Navy. We are currently on a mission here. We'd like to inquire about your purpose for being in this area. Tell us your nationality, ship number, and signal code."

'We see that you are acting independently at the present time. Where is your mother ship?'

"That is classified military information. I am requesting for the second time that you identify yourself, over."

The radio went silent after Dutch's transmission, which he didn't like one bit. During his time as a soldier, he knew that if someone didn't respond after a while, it could only mean trouble. "These guys are way too demanding. Definitely not normal." He put the receiver down and headed back inside. "I'm going back to the control room. Keep track of them and keep me posted." He commanded Benny.

"No problem, but what'll we do about those two?"

"If they're beacons are on you can find them anytime. Worst case scenario, we blast those guys and pick them up." The captain answered before he went back down.

Meanwhile, onboard the other ship, inside a decorated office, One large, imposing figure who stood up straight in a military matter was addressing another man who was sitting. The two men were wearing what appeared to be Nazi style uniforms complete with red armbands with what looked like a stylized A over a white circle.

"Hail Uberfuhrer!" The tall man address the man before him as if he were addressing a commanding officer. "Based on a communications check using radio interception, we confirmed there are no naval vessels in the vicinity. Therefore, we can only conclude that these are hated bandits who are plundering this sacred gravesite. Your decision please, Commander."

The commnader, just grinned at what he has been told. "The plunderers are such fools. The proof of inheritance of this gravesite is rightfully and indisputably ours. Very well, Squad Commander, I will allow destruction with an iron fist!" The commander said. Pretty soon, men wearing the same uniforms up top were strolling a large box across the deck of the ship to the side.

Back on the Lagoon, Benny continued to monitor the ship. "Hm, what's going on?" Benny wondered as he saw movement on the deck of the ship. Meanwhile, in the control room, Dutch was powering on the ship. "Dutch, there's movement."

"Okay, I just started the engines."

"That's strange, what are they doing over there?" He to look and suddenly turned wide eyed as he figured out what they were doing. "Dutch! It's a TOW!" He shouted as the men on the other ship started firing at the Lagoon.

"Damn it! I should have known that's what they wold do!" Dutch shouted as he hit the accelerator, launching the Lagoon into full speed to try and avoid the incoming missiles. "Hang on, Benny!" Benny tried to but was having a hard time trying to with the speed they were going. The missiles were closing in fast towards the fleeing PT boat and Dutch was doing everything he could no to get hit by one of the anti-tank missiles.

Meanwhile, Jackie and Revy managed to find the torpedo ports and started making their way inside. Jackie hung back for a moment before following behind Revy. "This underwater tomb is about to open." He said to himself.

" **HEHEHEHE! WE CAN SMELL IT, JACKIE. WE CAN SMELL THE BLOOD, DESPAIR, HOPLESSNESS. IT'S DELIGHTFUL."** The Darkness said in his head, of which he ignored as usual. Soon Jackie follow after Revy, ready to get this grave robbing gig over with, not knowing of the trouble that will soon be coming their way.

 **And finally finished with the next chapter. Sorry it took so long to update this story, I've been having problems with my Playstation to watch the dvds, but it's all fixed now and I will start updating this story regularly. Thank you all for favoriting and following this story and your patience will be well rewarded. Next chapter, the Neo Nazi arc comes to an end with the showdown, more like eventual bloodbath, with the Neo Nazis who are after the same thing as the Lagoon company, and I'm pretty sure you all know what follows after that. Se, read, review and enjoy and the next chapter will be out soon. Til then, this is TravyMcNavy184 signing out.**


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